Home Town Buffet

In our little corner of the world there is a restaurant called Home Town Buffet.  It is an all you can eat place across town that we frequent quite often.  It all started last fall when Rich and I were trying to start our lamp business.  Finances were tight and his folks blessed us with an invitation to lunch each week.  We looked forward to spending some time with his folks who are getting on in years.  They enjoy the simple things of life of just sharing a meal and the events of the week and of course time to see and love on Mary, their youngest grandchild.  The food is good there and we all get to have something that we enjoy but we discovered more there than just the food or seeing Rich's folks.  You see, we always went at 2:00, the time the senior discount was available.  There is a long table in the middle of the restaurant that is filled with regulars, friends of Rich's folks, Dan and Mel.  There is "Little" Bill whose wife recently passed away, Charlotte who loves to watch ball games on TV, "Big" Bill whose wife is not well and has a son who is pastor of a local church, Violet who loves to talk a lot and always has a sweet smile on her face.  There are others too that sit at different tables, there is Forest and Delores who are farmers and come down out of the Applegate to do business in town and eat lunch, there is Pat and Lee who go to the Presbyterian Church in town and always join in with us when we pray over our meal.  Then there are the sweet gals who pick up all our dishes and clean up the tables, Janice, Jennifer and Jolene.  Jennifer is a young gal that loves to take her break with us and have her lunch.  She is a people person for sure and is always waving hello or good bye to the guests that come and go.  She makes over the little children and asks the manager, Bill, if he can retrieve a stuffed animal using the claw in the game room for Mary or one of the other children.  He is an expert and can get one with one try.  Mary loves Jennifer and gives her big hugs hello and good bye.  Jennifer plays air guitar with her by laying Mary over her arm and strums imaginary strings on her tummy and she gets peels of laughter from Mary every time.  Little Bill usually comes by our table and asks Mary,  "How come you are so pretty?"  She always says, "Because I am a girl!"  Then he says, "Oh that's right, your a girl!"  Charlotte goes out front to have a smoke on her cigarette and then comes back into talk to Dan about last nights ball game and what he thought.  She always admires what Mary has on and then asks Mary if she thought that she could fit into her outfit and maybe borrow it some time to wear?  Mary always says that it is much too small for Charlotte and it would not fit.  She tells her she should go to the store and see if she can find it in a bigger size.  Charlotte always smiles with a twinkle in her eye and says, "You really think so!"  Mary turns to me and says, "Mama is Charlotte teasing me?"  I tell her, "Yes, sweetheart." 

These are the people of Home Town Buffet.  Even though it is a national chain of restaurants, it is a local cafe and restaurant of our town.  There are lots of people coming and going there: young families, single people, people with See and Eye dogs, sports teams and large crews of fireman but the regulars are older people with simple joys.  Coming to get lunch there so they don't have to eat alone and they can enjoy familiar faces and making friends.  My mind drifted one day, thinking that I could see our Lord, Jesus coming there.  Getting something to eat, helping some one carry their plate, saying hello, sitting with people, touching the lonely and troubled hearts, telling them things that no one else knew, healing a person who was on oxygen and couldn't walk on their own anymore.  He would touch them in a way that no one else could.  Then I heard a gentle voice say, you are my witness in this world and you have my Holy Spirit in you. You are an earthen vessel with a great treasure inside.  ^"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you
ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  John 14:11-15