Lessons from a Mall Food Court
by Patricia Chadwick

My adventure began almost immediately. I settled in, spreading my things all over the table and began writing my cards out. Even though I knew the food court was crowded, I never expected what happened that afternoon.

You never know what lessons you can learn by sitting in a Mall Food court! I took my daughter on our annual Christmas Trip. This year she chose to bring a few friends along and go to one of the largest Malls in Western New York. She planned a day of shopping with friends while I visited a few of my favorite stores and then planned to sit in the food court writing out my Christmas cards and being there for them to check in with me.

We separated early in the day and after spending a few hours in a
bookstore, I made my way to the food court for our first “check in.” I met the kids and we chatted a few minutes. I sat at the table they’d saved and we set up our next check in time. I decided to write out my cards and read while I waited for them. As they left I scanned the food court. I couldn’t believe how crowded it was. It was only early November and it seemed that the Christmas Shoppers were out in full force. I was sure glad the kids saved the table, because as I glanced around I could see there weren’t many empty seats, except the three at my table.

My adventure began almost immediately. I settled in, spreading my things
all over the table and began writing my cards out. Even though I knew the
food court was crowded, I never expected what happened that afternoon. But, I guess, desperate times call for desperate measures! It seemed to me that there were no seats to be had, but the three empty ones at my table.

As I sat writing, I was approached time and time again by people asking
me, “Are these seats taken?”  I would reply, “Yes, they are for my kids,”
and the people would move on in search of another place to sit and eat their lunch. This happened so many times, I began to feel guilty about turning people away. There was a battle going on inside my mind. I wanted my “space” and to be left in peace while I finished my cards, yet I couldn’t
help but think: What if that was me looking for a place to sit and eat?
Wouldn’t I want someone to share their table? Then I began wondering if
this little voice was my “guilt complex” nagging at me, or if it was God
trying to tell me to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?
Just then, I looked up and saw a woman all alone searching for a seat among the thick crowd. As I looked up she looked at me, and our eyes met. It was then I knew it was the Lord speaking to me.

She came over and asked if she could join me. I reluctantly moved my
things and offered her a seat. We had a nice conversation. She was from the area, but originally she grew up only a short distance from myself. She
asked me about my family and I shared about my husband being an Associate Pastor in the area she grew up and how he was having surgery on the following Monday. As she left, she asked for my husbands name and said she would be praying for him. She thanked me for my kindness. Good thing she couldn’t read my thoughts before she sat down!

After she left another woman was scanning the crowd. She looked almost
panic-stricken. I felt that same tug in my heart and wouldn’t you know it, she looked at me and our eyes met. She came scurrying over and almost begged me for a seat. I tried to be gracious and told her to please sit down. She was all alone and had come from a great distance. She didn’t expect to find such a crowd at the mall. She told me she was on the verge of having a panic attack.  I was able to calm her down and reassure her that she’d be okay. After she finished eating and was calmed down, she got up to leave and told me I was a God-send. Me? A God-send?

I finished my cards, put them away, and glanced at my watch. The kids
were due anytime. Just then, two young ladies about 20 years old approached me and asked to share my table. I glanced at my watch again and told them about my kids meeting me, but offered that they sit and eat. They saved my seat as I visited the restroom, and when I came back we had time for a chat.

These girls were from Newfoundland, Canada. They were visiting their
brother, who played on the city’s college basketball team. They were only there for a few days and were excited about being in a foreign country. They asked me about some of the nearby sights and then began asking me about my life. I told them I was a stay-at-home mom and how I felt that God called me to that ministry at this time in my life. They encouraged me that my choice to stay home and raise my family was the right one. “Not many mom’s stay home these days,” they said. “And as kids we really need our moms home for us. Don’t work until they leave home,” they advised me. Could it be that God sent these girls to encourage me?

As they said good-bye, my daughter and her friends came running over to
the table. My fourteen year old daughter, who normally doesn’t even want to be seen with me in public, put her arms around my neck and whispered, “Thanks so much, Mom, for taking the time to bring us here. We are having such fun. You are the BEST!” I looked up and one of the young ladies waved good-bye and gave me a wink and a smile.

I had looked at the interruptions that afternoon as an inconvenience, at
best, yet God meant it all for good. Not only for the good of those lonely shoppers with nowhere to eat their lunch, but for me as well. God sent me a woman to pray for my husband. He sent me a woman to calm down and comfort. And He used the afternoon to encourage me in the ministry He has called me to in this season of my life - being a MOM.

Patricia Chadwick is a freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies and has been a stay-at-home mom for 15 years. She lives with her husband John and her 4 children in Batavia, NY. You can contact Patti at (716)343-2810 or e-mail her at patti.chadwick@juno.com.
Visit Patti's site at www.historyswomen.com. 

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