I sat in my usual place and ordered a beer and some wings. There was an elderly man seated next to me. His appearance was wizened, his clothing worn but clean. He didn’t look up or acknowledge, just silently hung his head over an empty mug.
When my food came I motioned for the keeper to bring the old gentleman another beer. He thanked me repeatedly. For the next hour we sat and drank beer and shared the chicken wings. He began to talk.
He was a life-long Christian who gave himself to God at a very young age. His name was Samuel. All his life he tried to help others. As a child he did his own farm chores, and then looked for ways to help his brothers. In school he frequently took on leadership roles and never passed the opportunity to help. He was well liked and especially enjoyed sharing his home-packed lunch.
He met the girl of his dreams while still in school and they were married shortly after graduation. He was fully focused on taking care of his family; children soon followed. He gave them everything he could, all they needed, and sometimes a little of what they wanted. He was proud; his children had grown up prosperous and independent. He showed me pictures of great grandchildren; two he had not seen yet.
He never made much money. He took jobs that, in one way or another served others. They never paid much. He turned down better pay if it interfered with his family. God always blessed him when he struggled, but now those struggles didn’t seem quite so bad.
When another round of beer and wings came, he told me of his forced retirement. His wife became seriously ill, needing constant care. He only occasionally left her bedside for 12 years. He said it was the best and the worst. They survived on his savings and a small pension. Times were tough, medical expenses ate-up much of their income but he was able to keep her at home. There followed a long pause as we quietly finished our second round.
As he left he thanked me for the food and beer and over his shoulder summed his story. “Ya know, I gave everything I had to others but lost my own soul in the process.”
That’s the whole story.
When my food came I motioned for the keeper to bring the old gentleman another beer. He thanked me repeatedly. For the next hour we sat and drank beer and shared the chicken wings. He began to talk.
He was a life-long Christian who gave himself to God at a very young age. His name was Samuel. All his life he tried to help others. As a child he did his own farm chores, and then looked for ways to help his brothers. In school he frequently took on leadership roles and never passed the opportunity to help. He was well liked and especially enjoyed sharing his home-packed lunch.
He met the girl of his dreams while still in school and they were married shortly after graduation. He was fully focused on taking care of his family; children soon followed. He gave them everything he could, all they needed, and sometimes a little of what they wanted. He was proud; his children had grown up prosperous and independent. He showed me pictures of great grandchildren; two he had not seen yet.
He never made much money. He took jobs that, in one way or another served others. They never paid much. He turned down better pay if it interfered with his family. God always blessed him when he struggled, but now those struggles didn’t seem quite so bad.
When another round of beer and wings came, he told me of his forced retirement. His wife became seriously ill, needing constant care. He only occasionally left her bedside for 12 years. He said it was the best and the worst. They survived on his savings and a small pension. Times were tough, medical expenses ate-up much of their income but he was able to keep her at home. There followed a long pause as we quietly finished our second round.
As he left he thanked me for the food and beer and over his shoulder summed his story. “Ya know, I gave everything I had to others but lost my own soul in the process.”
That’s the whole story.
