He Never Met a Stranger

Last Tuesday we took our son to the airport to begin his “Wild at Heart” adventure to Northern Ireland. We stopped at a Back Yard Burgers Restaurant for lunch. I was able to park right up to the door so my wife Betty didn’t have to walk very far. As we ordered, Betty a large chili hot dog, fries, a soda, I a double burger, fries, and a soda we were met by an elderly gentleman who greeted us as if we were long lost friends. He asked us where we had been for he had not seen us in a long time. We never mentioned to Johnny that this was our first time. He acted as a host and server all into one ball of energy. He told us to sit down and he would bring our food to our table. As I filled our soda cups with ice, he shared with us that he only works four hours a week because he is eighty-three. Johnny was the same with all the customers. He loved people he just oozed with compassion. A number of times he came over to the table to pat Betty on the shoulder (blessing her). As we left, he made sure we had refills and whispered to us, “God bless you.”