Letter: Let me thank you in person

Letter: Let me thank you in person

Craig Smith
St Augustine, FL

Dear Editor:

Please help me find someone that I, and my son, saw at Applebee’s in St Johns tonight by sharing this letter with your readers. I would love to be able to offer my thanks to the family seated near us having dinner with two very young children.

Every parent’s nightmare, the youngest child got sick at the table. That triggered a gag reflex in the other little one, who got sick as well. The parents sprang into action to contain things and then deal with the aftermath. The father took the littlest one outside while mom tended to the other one and cleaned up the mess that was made.

I wanted to offer assistance of some sort, but she looked horribly embarrassed and I didn’t want to further embarrass her. She got things under control, cleaned everything up, as best she could, and got “to-go” boxes for what was left of their dinner.

The family headed out the door and I felt badly for them that they didn’t get to finish their dinner together. I empathized; because, like any parent, I’ve been there when my kids were little. It’s almost unavoidable to have such an episode at some point.

About 5 minutes after they left, we ordered dessert. I was astounded when our server presented me a note that the mother of those children wrote before she left.

She apologized to me in her note for witnessing what happened at their table, and explained that she decided to pay for our dinner. I was absolutely stunned! I was grateful for her kind offer, but I felt guilty; she was the one who had to endure this, not me. I didn’t even offer to help. Of course, she was long gone by the time I got her note.

I want to thank her in person, but I don’t know who she is; nor did any of the staff at the restaurant. I hope that this letter finds its way to someone in that family. It was certainly not necessary to buy our dinner, and your thoughtful offer meant a great deal to me and my son. Thank you very, very much, and I hope your children are feeling better.

Your act of kindness was an amazing gift that inspires me to do the same for someone else – although I hope it’s not for the EXACT same reason.