Last-Minute Pancakes

There is a cute little diner at the end of my street. I think its been there for decades, probably not the same owners, but I know our friends dad worked there as a kid, so its been there a while.


Gianna and I rode our bike there this morning and had a lovely time. We ended up stopping back in on the way to church and dropped off the following note, some cheery flowers, and the attached pic of her eating her pancakes. The letter I wrote explains why: 


Sunday, July 18th 2010
I just have to share how touched I was at your restaurant this morning.


I have lived in Rosedale Gardens 5 years. I have thought many many times about coming in your restaurant but I don’t know why I never did.


This morning I asked my 2 year old Gianna if she wanted to go for bike ride and have breakfast and she said YES!! So we rode to your restaurant.


I have had a rough week. This morning as I sat in your restauraunt, I thought here is one of those moments of ‘refreshment’. A little gift from God. The song ‘some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this’ was playing on the radio.


I have complained a lot this week. Been ungrateful and ignored all I have to be thankful for. Focused on all the negative.


And I realized in that moment, as I sat across from my little girl with her blueberry pancakes, that it was one of the best moments of my entire life and I had so much to be thankful for. I planned to do this every week. Felt excited to think of it as being our little Sunday morning thing. Imagined her growing older each week across from me in that booth.


Then I got up and told the waitress how I’d never been there but loved it and planned to come many more times. And she told me its your last day, that you are closing. I couldn’t believe it. I thought she must be kidding, but she wasn't.


I am so sorry that in this big beautiful neighborhood your restaurant has to close. Perhaps so many like me think about stopping in but don’t. I cried all the way home. Have tears on my face as I write this. I’m just so sorry.


But I am thankful for my memorable morning. I am sure too there is a reason God brought me there on the very last day out of all these years.


I will be praying for what follows for you. God is good. Seek Him first and you can know that all the rest shall be given to you.


God bless and thankyou.


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeramiah 29:11


Perhaps someone needed to know someone cared today. Needed to know God cared. I know its not coincidence. Not when for over 1800 days I've lived here and ended up there at the last minute, feeling like the richest woman in the world just to be there eating blueberry pancakes with my girl, then just to find out they're closing in a matter of hours.


I am so amazed at God's timing.

Monday July 19th -
So I think this experience hit home even more when I drove by on my way to work today and saw the building sitting there with sign gone and windows papered over. Once again tears came. I can so clearly remember just yesterday, the sunny morning, got a picture of it in my mind as if outside looking in. Our bike sitting outside, gianna's little pink helmet, she and I in our booth eating our breakfast, having our once in a lifetime moment. And poof, its gone, boarded up, papered over, closed off.

I feel so strongly in my heart a reminder from God of how temporary this life truly is. Think of all of those who are gone that were before us. In what we'll look back on as the blink of an eye, we will be too. Our babies will be grown. Our hair grey. Our lives behind us.

There is only one thing that makes this not bring despair to my heart. The fact that Jesus defeated death that it will not be permanent for those who will just believe! Not the most popular thing to tell people. Probably sounds crazy to some. It used to sound somewhat crazy to me. But I have experienced Him! Have seen the many evidences for the bible, have had my life changed. Myself and many lives connected to mine.