People Who Have Inspired Us
The thread, "We plan our lives.........." got me to thinking of those who have inspired me in my lifetime. I am hoping that this thread will be a place for all of us to post stories about those who have been an inspiration in each of our lives. I will start it by posting about "The Biscuit Man."
THE BISCUIT MAN
In 1978, while serving in the army, I assigned to a training position at a remote location. My son was four at the time and we were expecting ours second child. Money was very tight in those days. As part of my job, each morning I would drive to the fort, get into a military vehicle, and drive for almost an hour to the training site/ Once there, I would prepare the facility for the day's activities and open it no later than 7 A.M. To do this, I would leave home about 4:30 or 5 in the morning.
A few miles from my destination, at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere, was a tiny diner, owned and operated by a very large black man, sometimes with the help of his granddaughter. The diner had maybe four stools at the counter and perhaps three or four booths. How he scratched out a living in such a small diner, I have no idea. I would stop and have breakfast, The food was excellent (he made the best biscuits you ever tasted), the place was always spotlessly clean, and the man always had a smile on his face. As I said, physically, he as a very big man and a very strong man. But, his faith in God was even stronger. As I got to know him, we talked a lot and he came to call me, in a friendly way, “Little White Boy.”
One morning, I was running late and I only had one dollar in my pocket. I stopped at the diner and ordered a sausage biscuit. The man looked at me and said, “Little white boy, you can't make it to lunch on just a sausage biscuit.” I explained that I was in a hurry and only had one dollar anyway. He grinned, went into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a paper sack. I was in such a hurry, I didn't notice the sack was unusually heave.
I got the facility,put a pot of coffee on and began preparing to open. When I had everything ready, I poured a cup of coffee and opened the paper sack. Inside was several biscuits, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a small container of gravy. I looked at the receipt stapled to the sack. It read, “1 sausage biscuit: $1.00.”
On my way home that evening, I stopped and told the man I would pay him for the “extra food” as soon as I could. He told me that I would NOT. He said that when his granddaughter was just a baby, her parents had both been killed in an accident. He was alone, running the diner, living in a small storage room in the back, with a baby girl to care for. He told me that just when he thought there was no way he could survive doing it all, God sent neighbors from all around, black neighbors, white neighbors, neighbors of all races, some of them he didn't even know at the time. Some helped in the diner, some cared for the baby in the back room, and all assured him that God would provide.
He said, “Son,this is my way of paying back those who helped me when I thought I could not go on. If you really want to pay me back, someday, when you see someone in need, help them. That is what Christ would have done. Follow His example.”
After that day,every time I went in that diner, alone or with my family and no matter what we ordered, my check always said, “1 sausage biscuit: $1.00.”
All those years ago,and I have NEVER forgotten that man nor the lesson God taught me through him.
