They were married fifty-eight years and his wife recently passed away. But, the workers at the local diner weren’t going to let this gentleman eat alone. Take it one step further – they weren’t going to let him be alone.

As he talked to one of the servers, she was asking questions about his wife and their life together. They had been very much in love it seemed. When she got sick, they flew all over the country looking for treatments. He was by her side the whole time.

Have I mentioned they were married fifty-eight years? He mentioned that at least a dozen times.

They kept him company through his whole meal, encouraging him to eat and lamenting that he was looking thin over the last few weeks. I’m pretty sure there was an extra dessert on his table that he didn’t ask for.

When dinner was over, he packed his things and left the restaurant, waving to his friends. “I’ll see you next week.” They smiled warmly and waved back.

Did I tell you they were married fifty-eight years?

It is stories like these that remind me of just how important community can be.