“May God bless you all!”
That line concluded a short note left for 22 special needs students as they finished lunch at a Florida Cracker Barrel.
The reason why will leave you speechless.
“Once a week we take our kids out into the community, basically to teach them life skills and social skills. So we’ll go to the mall, we’ll go to lunches,” explained the students’ teacher, Jacquelyn Lara.
It was one week before Christmas and the students decided this week’s lunch would be at their local Cracker Barrel.
But little did they know a huge blessing was in store for them!
They enjoyed their holiday lunch and as they were finishing up they didn’t receive their bill.
Instead, the waitress dropped off a short, anonymous note.
“Merry Christmas. Just a way to say thank you for all you do for the children. Please use any money left over on a party for the kids. May God bless you all!”
Their waitress informed them that 100% of their bill had been paid for by the couple who had written the note.
“Honestly, I was speechless,” she recounted. “I looked at the waitress in awe. I just honestly felt that she restored my faith in humanity.”
“Tears of joy,” said Jennifer Coco, the students’ other teacher. “We didn’t expect that at all.”
The students were also impacted by this extreme act of generosity.
“It made us feel really good because no one has ever done that,” student Jennifer Alcaide said. “We felt so surprised that they paid for our bill. I’m really thankful for that.”
Ms. Lara later posted her thankfulness to Facebook: “This act of kindness restored my faith in humanity and will forever be one of the greatest moments I’ve spent with my students! To the couple who did this if you’re seeing this, thank you!”
Later the students drew handmade thank you cards to show their gratitude, but they could not be delivered in person.
You see, the couple chose to remain anonymous, honoring Jesus’ words in His Sermon on the Mount:
“When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
And the final line of the note, “May God bless you all!” gives the Glory to God for this act of extreme generosity.
Praise God for the generosity he gave to this couple, and pray for opportunities for you to reflect the love of Christ in the New Year, following their example.