Cooked some food for the kids when they came home from school. A young Latino dishwasher from my restaurant stopped by to use our computer for a school project and I fed him as well. It was only yellow rice and beans but my young friend Noe, said that was part of his culture and dug right in.
I took Massey to guard practice before heading to work. Another server and I split a party of 22 businessmen. Before our party arrived I was delighted to see four sisters that I have known all my life come through the front door of the restaurant to have dinner with me.
The second picture above is a picture of these four girl's mother. Below it is a picture of my own mother. Our mother's lived together right after high school and remained life long friends. Unfortunately neither of them lived as long as we would have liked... but we all grew up together in the East Point Christian Church family and I spent many weekends at their house and the sister closest to me in age even went on our family vacation with us one summer.
They could best be described as "The Lennon Sisters." (See first photo above) All with incredibly God given talent of the most amazing singing abilities I was always jealous of. I'd croak along with them by the piano in their basement and they are the ones that taught me how to sing in harmony.
"Out of The Ivory Palaces" was one of our all time faves...not to mention "The Wonderful Grace of Jesus." At least with four of them singing so loud and right on key made my croaking alto barely noticeable (at least that's what I led myself to believe.)
Over the years we have kept in touch in different ways. One of the sister's has a teen in a high school that plays my kid's high school in football and I see her at ball games. Two other sisters used to come eat with me at my old restaurant (you know, the CRAPPY one) and believe it or not told me they haven't been back to that restaurant since they fired me . Talk about support, these girls know how to give it!
The youngest daughter was a wee one when we were all growing up together...I bet she wasn't older than eight or nine when we were all singing in the basement of their house or going to antique car shows with their parents.
Flash forward to today.
We are all middle aged women now (sorry Donna, I know you're the youngest but we are draggin' you into middle age with us.) Our mother's are still friends with each other , I am sure of it... only now they are upstairs behind the Pearly Gates with so many other of our loved ones.
We had a blast talking and chatting between me waiting on the 22 top and reminiscing with them. They read my blog and wanted me to tell them which servers were what cartoon characters/ famous celebrities (previous blog ya gotta read.)
They mentioned my blog which meant "BINGO" you get a free dessert. They recognized at least four characters while they were sitting there and I told them I wished I could get Anna, the Latino dishwasher to come out of the back so they could meet Charro the "Coochy -Coochy" girl from Laugh In and the old Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
I was in the kitchen talking to the owner AKA "Dr. Evil/ Mr. Magoo" and said that my friends had really enjoyed their dinner and had also enjoyed picking out who was who in my little Cartoon/Famous people blog. I told him I wished I could get Anna the dishwasher to come out front to meet them since they all were old enough to know who "Charro" was.
He immediately hollered over the line to the dish pit area and said quite loudly "ANNA...GO SAY HELLO TO TABLE 302!"
Anna doesn't speak much English but she knows enough that when the owner says "Table 302" just go there. She immediately dropped what she was doing and hurried out of the kitchen, with her immaculate eye shadow , blood red lip stick and baseball cap with rhinestones.
She followed me to my table and I introduced her to my friends. Let me say right now that she is one hard working woman, and we are lucky to have her. But when the owner says "GO GO GO" we do just that.
I really think that she felt good being singled out to meet the guests. She works so hard and washing dishes is oftentimes such a thankless job.
I absolutely "LOVE" Anna. If I come into work and forget to say hello to her she will do this little routine of "Hello, Killy..how are you? I am fine Anna, how are YOU?"
I enjoyed waiting on "The Lennon Sisters" and once again was reminded how 'The ties that bind' are often the most precious.
This four sweet girls left me a 150% tip.
I tried to decline (only once.)
Why I am so blessed is often an amazement to me... humility escaped me over a year ago and has been replaced by total gratitude.
Now my cell phones won't be cut off tomorrow.
My mother would be mortified that cell phones are a priority of mine. In today's times they have become a necessity. In my youth when your parents couldn't get in touch with you and you came home late your Dad would get his belt out and use it until you heard the ringing in your ears. That was a ring tone you could never miss hearing.
It's been a long year but it has been a year of realizing that what you get is what you give. What you receive is what you need to pay forward and every gift is just that.."A Gift."
I am a lucky, lucky woman.
The 100 year anniversary of East Point Christian Church is this coming Sunday. I am lucky to have had the church and the church family to make me into the person I am. I have faltered, I have wandered but I always have had the convictions of what is right and wrong. I have come to know the Lord even closer over the past year. If not for Him, my family would have been lost in the shuffle of a terrible economy.
If not for the owner's of my new restaurant, I would be without a job.
I plan on attending the 100th anniversary of EPCC.
Should I sit on the last row of the balcony eating sixlets like I did as a kid or be one of the people sitting up front?
I'm not really an upfront person so maybe I'll split the difference and sit halfway down the sanctuary. I DO know that my Mom and Diddy will be there in spirit along with the "Lennon Sister's" Mother.
Another long week...but that has been my life for a year now. I am still here and thanks to family... God and friends I am still swinging away and keeping it going.
I hope they ask me to come up front and sing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." That's my favorite and with the 'Lennon Sister's' as back up I bet I could sound pretty decent.
Til next time...Countin' Blessins' Cotton
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