I watched the embedded movie below this morning and cried my eyes out. Glad no one else was around to hear my blubbering mess. Pets can be instrumental in our journey of learning to love and healing. Little messengers from God with a mission to make our lives better through their unconditional love and fierce loyalty. I had a dog like that. Her name was Gracie. I’ll forever be indebted to her for showing me a lot about love… unconditional love. I miss her a lot. Grab a tissue or 10 and watch this video. It’s a Vimeo community choice award winner directed by Eliot Rausch.

I had the privilege of meeting Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-Fil-A, a few months ago at the recreate conference in Franklin, TN. He has such a passion for serving people and creating raving fans. I know I’m one of them. Chick-Fil-A has consistently been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. His heart and willingness to go against the grain of most fast food restaurants is what makes Chick-Fil-A stand out as a superior eatery.

This video is a great example of how we should always think of and treat every client we deal with. Everyone is coming from “somewhere” and we never know how much of an impact we might have on their lives and businesses.

Every Life Has a Story from Dan T. Cathy on Vimeo.

Every Life Has A Story – Chick-fil-A from Dan T. Cathy on Vimeo.

This is a Watercooler Wednesday post…

We were having dinner tonight to celebrate Mace’s 5th birthday.  My parents had driven an hour to watch the boys’ t-ball game and then we ate at one of our favorite places – Joe’s Pizza & Pasta on Rogers Avenue.  We were having fun, laughing and talking but at some point I became aware of a guy sitting by himself across the room from us.  He was a military man, easily recognizable by his uniform.  He was a married man according to the ring on his finger.  And he seemed quite lonely, judging by his reaction to the other families sitting all around him.  He would smile and nod as he looked from table to table at the moms & dads interacting with their children, sharing their meal together.

I thought about this man and the sacrifice he is making to keep us free and have the ability to sit in a restaurant with our family and enjoy our time together.  He was far away from his wife & children.  I could just tell by the way he looked around the room that he missed them and home.

I often like performing random acts of kindness and saw the opportunity to bless this lonely soldier who missed his kids & wife.  Maybe I felt a little guilty that I was sitting there enjoying my family – all of us together.  I asked our waitress about his bill and she pointed me to his server.  I got his check and paid for it when I paid for ours.  It wasn’t much for us to do, but I know he appreciated it because he found out it was us and walked over to thank us.  As we headed out the door, I thanked him for what he is doing for our country.  Sometimes it’s the little things that add up.  Those unexpected opportunities to bless someone who isn’t expecting it.  I’m glad God is putting this in my heart more and more and can’t wait for the next opportunity to develop.

What’s the coolest, random act of kindness you’ve done lately?  If you haven’t what do you think it could be? Remember the little things are important and can make a huge difference in someone’s life and even make an eternal impact.