Submitted by Eizzle….I love this. Most of you will know why….RT
…..Which brought me and Yodel to our last stop before heading home…Dunkin’ Donuts. I am addicted to McDonald’s decaf coffee, mind you, I get my fix every morning just before hopping on the freeway to head into downtown Phoenix. Because of this I know everything going on in the lives of the young kids that work the morning drive thru. But occasionally I like an iced coffee, and nobody does iced coffee better in my opinion than Dunkin’ Donuts.
It wasn’t quite 5 am, and I parked the car outside Dunkin’ so Yodee would have me in his view the whole time, he likes that. I walked in. There were two gents who looked like farmers at one of the tables having a current events conversation. And up at the counter was an elderly couple, probably in their mid 70s. The donut clerk was holding a half-filled box of donuts waiting for them to select their next one. They were consulting back and forth. The white-haired lady whispered something to the slightly hunched grey-haired man. I saw his head shake. They had reached agreement on the next donut they wanted. They told the clerk and she plucked it from the wall of donuts and put it in the box. What’s next?, she asked. The older couple looked at each other again and started deliberating. I was standing behind them. I looked at the clerk and smiled, and she smiled back. They asked about a large cruller and were told it was slightly extra for that one. Their heads tilted toward each other and they then engaged in a brief debate about the pros and cons of paying 50 cents extra for the big cruller. They went for it! This careful donut consideration between the two of them continued for the next couple of minutes until they had chosen their dozen donuts, paid the clerk, and were on their way. I didn’t mind the wait, and there was nobody else needing to be served. I was in no hurry.
I knew there was something special about that moment for lots of reasons, some that I just felt in my heart. Thinking about that couple and the lifetime of decisions that they had probably made together…where to live, what opportunities to pursue, what direction to give their children…all those things two people face on their journey together. The kindness and respect they had shown each other when discussing something as mundane as what was going into that dozen box of donuts. And how intentional they were in making sure they had walked away with the perfect dozen donuts. All of that was the product of years of being together, love, hardships, compromise, lessons learned, etc.
It made me think of those close to me who are couples or who will be. Who deal with the joyful and sometimes not-so-much fun decisions that make up life. And though none of you receiving this are in your 70s like that old couple, my wish for you is that you someday find yourself together in your later years in a doughnut shop. And you share that humility and grace to be like that old couple God wanted me to witness this morning. That you pick out your dozen donuts together thoughtfully, selflessly, with love for each other, and with all the patience and understanding that goes into building a life together.
I couldn’t decide on the image so here’s the other one (RT):
