Norfolk & Wisdom from Howard Burton

Yesterday we woke up in Elk Mountain, Wyoming.  Dad Bonner wouldn't hear of us taking the Airport Shuttle, and drove us to Denver himself.  It was so fun riding with him.  He parked at the airport and then came inside to make it infinitely easier to check in all of that luggage!  Thanks Dad.

We flew from Denver to Chicago, and then on to Norfolk.  We sat together on the Chicago flight, but we all had to sit separately on the flight to Norfolk.  (At least I was allowed to sit with three-year-old James.)  The kids were amazing -- especially Sam (7), who had to sit pretty far from everyone else.  Little heroes! 

It is morning in Norfolk, everyone else is asleep, and I am thinking about the people we met yesterday: Ilsa, the lovely South African stewardess who met the love of her life in Chicago; Walt, the nice man who checked us into the Hampton Inn last night; and Thor, who brought us room service last night at 11:20, even though the restaurant was supposed to stop delivering at 9:00.  And thinking of them makes me think of an old friend named Howard Burton.

Howard Burton is a Seattle engineer and entrepreneur.  He was Bone's (Kevin's) employer for about seven years.  Aside from the fact that he's good leader and a great engineer, he's a very generous man.  He throws an incredible Christmas Party every year.  (I know -- in literature that would be Dickens' Mr. Feziwig from "A Christmas Carol", right?  Not such a bad person to be compared with, in my book.) 

Howard taught us a piece of advice that is worth more than gold.  Whenever you're in a restaurant, learn your waiter's name right away, and make sure you use their name when you see them during the visit.  It lets them know you value them as a person.  It makes them feel good, and it makes you feel good too.  Some people will say this trick gets you great service, but it does so much more than that.  It makes the waiter your friend.  It makes the meal into time spent with a new friend.  It makes your time with this person, however short, special and memorable.

We started trying this everywhere -- not just in restaurants -- and it has added significantly to our happiness.  One very memorable time was when James was born.  We just learned and used the names of all the nurses and others who cared for us in the hospital.  For that brief, special time, they all became our friends, and they loved us.  It was incredible and powerful and beautiful, and I will always remember it.

So now here I am waking up in this nice Hampton Inn in Norfolk, and I am remembering Ilsa and Walt and Thor and others we met yesterday.  Thank you Howard, for teaching us to recognize the treasure of people who are all around us.  There is love everywhere if we learn how to find it.