The “Tipper” Miracles: Part One: The Horrible Tippers

I don’t know about all of you, but I have worked a few different kinds of jobs through my life. The job I want to talk about right now is when I used to be a waitress. Where I come from, the hourly pay for a waitress is extremely minimal. My tips were what mainly paid my bills. When it comes to tipping, there are three types of people. First, the horrible tippers: these are the people that (constantly, not occasionally because of bad service) leave very little or even no tip at all. Second, the average tippers: this is the category that most people lie in and these are the people that tip decently. Not too much, not too little...the perfect amount. Third, the incredible tippers: these are the people that go above average and leave you a tip that makes you feeling like the night will actually be well worth it. Something that I realized a few years into my time of waiting tables was that as a waitress or waiter, you always remember the horrible tippers and the incredible tippers, but you don’t really take note of the average tippers. Oh yeah...I am going somewhere with this...just wait. I remember at the last place that I waited tables; there was a couple (even after about 5 or 6 years I still remember them) that would come in with their three kids. They would always receive good service, and all the wait staff had at some point taken care of them, and they never ever left a tip of any kind. So when we all noticed a pattern and realized they were horrible tippers, we would groan when they were seated in our section. Another one I remember was a man that would come in with all kinds of different people. Sometimes he would be with a large group, sometimes a small one, but this guy always stood out to us. Why you may ask. Because no matter how much was left for us on the table or what the bill total was, he would take a ten dollar bill and fold it into a ring and playfully put it on the finger of whoever was waiting on him that day. OK...the ring part made him stand out in our minds as well but whenever he would wave you over, you knew you were able to get ten extra dollars on top of whatever you just worked for and that is a great feeling. Sadly, aside from my regulars that always asked for me as their server, I can’t at all tell you any stories about the average tippers that came our way.
Along with the category of tipper, comes a certain attitude in the waiter/waitress. You see the horrible tippers, you will still do your job as you are supposed to, but you are less compelled to go above and beyond because you know that no matter what, they aren’t going to make it worth your while. When the incredible tippers come your way, you are huge smiles, tons of jokes, those water glasses never go empty, and their dirty dishes aren’t in front of them for longer than a few seconds. Even if you don’t realize it, your eye is always on that table.

Ok...what does this have to do with anything? Well I’ll tell you! It’s very much like miracles. What? Miracles? Seriously? Oh yes...seriously. G-d works miracle on a daily basis. So many people dream of seeing a miracle. But don’t seem to realize that just in one day of their lives they could have witnessed several.

Like the tippers, I am going to put miracles into three separate categories. First we had the horrible tippers. Now I don’t think any miracle from G-d is horrible (or negative in any way shape or form). But I do think that some are unexpected. By unexpected, I mean not quite when you pictured and/or prayed for. Sometimes they can be a far cry from what you had in mind. While a horrible tipper may not leave you anything for the time and effort you put in, they are still building revenue for the place of business. Without that revenue, you have no job. The unexpected miracles can at times, even be confused with more trials or headaches. I am going to use my parents for an example here. When they were in their early twenties, they each separately moved to a place in the mountains. It was there that they fell in love with the mountains and eventually met and fell in love with each other. After three years of marriage my father landed a job in an area far away. They went, settled, had my brother and I, and planned for a life there even though deep down they really wanted to head back to the mountains. A couple times they tried to sell the house but nothing ever came of it. So they came to a point where they figured it was a sign from G-d that this was where they needed to stay put. Well, after 27 years of employment my father was laid off along with many of his coworkers due to the company downsizing because of the rough economy. It’s a pretty devastating thing to face. They knew it was a possibility and they were preparing for it. But that doesn’t ever seem to soften the blow. The next two years were very rough. They were alright, they took care of themselves but finding new jobs and a new life is no easy thing. They dealt with the unknown as far as what lay ahead for them and the stress of looking for work and starting over. They even had to live apart for a period of time because he had to go where he could look for work and she had to stay with me and keep working the job she still had. There were days where it felt like it would go from bad to worse and even I began to get angry and ask G-d why. But now...they have been humbled from their experience. If you ask my mom what she would do differently, she would say nothing because they ended up right where they had been asking to be. All those years that they lived elsewhere, they wanted to go back to the mountains. They saw it happening in a different way. They saw it happening with work lined up and a house of their own and without any headaches, just excitement. But through everything thing G-d brought them to a perfect little apartment in a wonderful neighborhood with wonderful people. They are located in a valley so all they have to do is open their blinds in the morning and they see mountains right there across the way. There is wildlife all around them. My father is working a job that is much different from what he used to have, but he’s also much happier with it. My mom was talking to me one day and she told that after everything happened, she realized that when she wasn’t looking, G-d worked a miracle and granted her exactly what she wanted.

These are the unexpected miracles; the miracles that usually occur when G-d brings good of a bad situation. It can be so hard to see it and have faith in it when you are in the middle of everything because as humans, we only see what is in front of us. G-d, however, sees all and knows what He is doing. Sometimes the outcomes aren’t quite what we hoped for either. My mom and dad were blessed with what they were asking for over the years. But G-d could have settled them elsewhere with different jobs because that’s where He needed them. I know that there are some that could be reading this asking why G-d would let things happen or why G-d doesn’t always give what we specifically asked for if we are good strong followers of His. My answer....I have no answer. Only G-d knows and sees what needs to happen and what is to come. I am in the middle of dealing with some difficult trials of my own right now. And there are days where I am frustrated and want to ask Him why. But then I calm down and remember that it’s not my place to question. It’s my place to have faith. I have seen good come of some horrible situations. And any of you out there dealing with difficulties, know that I will always be praying for you and G-d will always be by yours side. Even on days when it feels like He’s as far away as he can get. Having faith in Him doesn’t make the situation better, but it does make it a little easier to deal with because you are allowing Him to bare the burden for you. So, after reading this I want to ask you to take some time to reflect on things past and present. Try and see G-d in them. Sometimes it’s something as simple as making you stronger or humbling you so you can be ready for the next task. But in all of it....there is some sort of unexpected miracle.

G-d Bless,

K

To be continued.......The “Tipper” Miracles: Part Two: The Average Tipper