"The Deal"

A few days ago my thoughts were drifting back ten years to when I was a seminary student preparing for ministry. I thought, "how did I ever get up four days a week before 4:30 a.m., drive for an hour and a half from rural Georgia to the metropolis of Atlanta, spend all day in school, stay up late studying, and pastor a congregation?" I kid you not, I don't yearn to go back to those days. They were tough. But as I wondered how I made it through three years of such a grueling schedule, my mind pictured an African-American lady, short of stature, who I had not thought of in as many years.

She worked just outside of the cafeteria at Emory University Hospital in a bakery/coffee shop called The Bishop's Pantry. One day while eating with other seminary students in the cafeteria, a fellow student said, "have you gotten the deal yet at The Bishop's Pantry?" My inquiring mind wanted to know more. "What's the deal?" My friend divulged his secret, "when you order two chocolate chip cookies for a dollar, the lady behind the counter automatically slips a third cookie in your bag." "NO WAY," I said.

That very afternoon, after depositing my tray at the hospital cafeteria, I decided to go to The Bishop's Pantry to see if I would get the deal. I ordered two cookies, paid my one dollar bill, and quickly took my bag and went outside to see if three cookies occupied a two cookie bag. I couldn't believe it....I had gotten the deal!

For the remainder of my days in seminary, I was a frequent recipient of the deal. Never did I go to The Bishop's Pantry and only receive two cookies. There was always a third cookie gracing my bag. It sounds like an insignificant gesture, and maybe it was, but to me it made a tremendous difference. There I was...a lowly student with little income. The third cookie in my bag was always a boost to me. It was the special treat I saved for the drive home that brightened my outlook on life. It was the dose of sugar I needed to get me through my final class. It was a token of blessing that made me feel like I had someone looking out for me in a place where it can be easy to go nameless.

The other day I found myself back at The Bishop's Pantry. The kind lady no longer worked there. Out of curiosity and the desire for a sugar rush, I ordered two cookies. Upon opening my bag, I looked inside to find no surprises. The deal was no more. I thought of the law students, medical students, and seminary students who were missing out on a little blessing in life. And I said a word of thanksgiving to God. I don't know where the little lady from The Bishop's Pantry is today or what she might be doing, but her generosity will never be forgotten. Quite possibly, it was a third cookie on many occasions that helped me make it through school.