Message from McDonald's...

To start, HAPPY BIRTHDAY'S TO MY MOM (DIANE) AND MY NIECE SOPHIA TODAY!!!

Before I hit the books to study for my board exam, I felt compelled to share about my morning trip to McDonald's. I rarely go to McDonald's, honestly, and it is even more few and far between that I go into McDonald's to eat. When thinking about it, I think I've been inside the Coraville McDonald's twice before today in the 6 years we've lived here.

For some reason, this morning I decided to take Lincoln to McDonald's for breakfast before dropping him off at preschool. While walking in, we were greeted by a friendly elderly employee at the door. I ordered our food, sat down with Lincoln, proceeded to get Lincoln's hotcakes prepared for him. The same man who greeted us at the door said 'would you like some more coffee?', I stated 'no, I'm ok, but thank-you'. He said 'ya know what? I drink 45 of those everyday', meaning 45 cups of coffee!! I said 'really!?!' He said he has an entire pot before he comes to work at 4am, which he says is 16 cups, and then he drinks coffee the entire shift at work. I asked him if he sleeps, he said about 1-1 1/2 hrs. per night!! He also said that people always ask him how his blood pressure is, and he laughed and gestured that it is through the roof. He said his last one was 290/90! The nurse in me came out and told him that a BP like that coupled with that much coffee is not healthy and that he really should be careful. He just shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

He then asked me if Lincoln was about 2 and I said yes, that he turned 2 this past May. He then proceeded to strike up a conversation with me that I'm still thinking about right now. The man's name was Bill. Bill began to tell me about how for his entire life, he has tried to help people. He spoke of his late father, and the life lessons that his father passed onto him that he says contribute to the person he is today. His father, he said, told him to accept anyone and everyone, no matter the sex, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc... as we are all God's children. He said his father was his insipiration and still is, to how he lives his life everyday. Bill said his Mother never told him things like that throughout his life, and that she was jealous of the close relationship Bill had with his father and that he will remember that for the rest of his life. This made my heartache, especially being a mother myself, I wouldn't want my child to feel like Bill said he felt. I hope to pass on the same life lessons to Lincoln as Bill's father did to him. He said it's very important to listen to our kids, to talk to them, because many of the problems kids get into aren't necessarily because they're bad kids, but because the parents never sat down to talk to them. He said 'tie the kid to a chair if you have to' or rather yet, if it's the parents not listening, he said he's told kids to make them listen.

Bill has been with McDonald's 8 years, and according to him has had 30+ years in the restaurant industry. He says he loves brightenening people's days and offering to help them. He said that he always asks if you'd like more coffee, because he said 'you never know when you might make a difference in someone's day'. I know this story seems rather lengthy, but I really enjoyed the conversation and wanted to share it with you, sort of a 'pay it forward' type thing.

Bill also shared with me some interesting facts about his life. He is a godfather to 33 children, from the SAME FAMILY!!! Yes, he used to work with a 50 year old woman who is devout Catholic who is married to a 51 year old man, they don't believe in birth control. They have 33 children!!! She has given birth to ALL of them! I said, 'no way', he said 'yes'. I guess both the woman and man have multiple sets of multiples on each side of their families. This couple has sets of twins, triplets, and Bill said their last pregnancy was quintuplets (5)!!! With 33 children already, they are pregnant again, with septuplets (7)!!!!! Another crazy part, none were conceived with fertility treatments. Supposedly their house has 10 bedrooms. I still find that whole story hard to believe. But nonetheless, it was entertaining.

You are all probably thinking, my gosh, this all happened in a morning trip to McDonald's? Yes, but I didn't mind listening to him, because he had such sweet and things to say, I almost wish Lincoln was old enough to understand this stranger with the powerful life lessons. Bill said he loves being a soundboard for people, because as he said 'you never know when you're going to offer the solution someone was looking for.'

Ironically, he said his mother's mother's mother's mother or something to that effect, was married to the President of the United States, Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln!!!!! I laughed and said, Lincoln is my son's name, as I pointed to Linc. He said had his parents not married, or something, his last name would be Lincoln.

There is something to be learned from someone like Bill, with such a positive outlook on life. Even more interesting, he has been through a lot of tragedy in his life. His father, the person he loved most in the world, died in his arms. He lost his wife and a child in a car accident, and the woman he was dating after the death of his wife died. Someone he said asked him how much more could he take and he said 'with God's help, I'll get through it.' Wow. He then said that he has 3 operations coming up. He has no life insurance policy on himself and all 3 are life threatening. He has thyroid cancer, double hernias in his lower abdomen, and has a blood infection that may result in the double amputation of his legs. I just shook my head in amazement how he is still so positive and caring admist having the medical issues he's battling. He said he told his boss at McDonald's that even if he ends up confined to a wheelchair, he will still find a way to come to work and wipe tables or something in order to help the store.

Well, that's it. I learned a lot about this man obviously, but I wouldn't take back the conversation I had with him. You never know when you walk into a McDonald's that you could leave having been inspired by a stranger. If any of you live in the Coralville area, Bill told me he works Tuesday-Saturday from 8-4 and is always happy to talk to people, maybe if you need your day lightened, go see Bill. :)

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind', and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Luke 10:27