I have a new hero to add. Before I tell you, I need to explain what happened this week, but mostly today.
Today is my beautiful bride's birthday. She's the light, life and joy of my life. But today wasn't a regular birthday for her or me. It might have been if not for some circumstances in God's hands, not ours.
Last week, my Mom's sister, and best friend, died. She was around 90, and got some problem with her circulation which took about 3 weeks to take her from mortality. I visited with her shortly before her death, and my sister visited her the day of her death. I took my Mom with me, and my sister didn't, which was good, because she whispered to our aunt, "When you get to the other side, tell Dad to come for Mom." That is an interesting thing to tell a dying woman, isn't it? You would have to know the circumstances we are in, and even then, you might not understand why I'm not offended.
My aunt died a little later that same day, and her funeral was today at 11am. My wife and I enjoyed her funeral, and felt it was a good tribute, and a blessed event. I guess we Latter-Day Saints look at death much differently than other religions do. I've found that we look at death much the same as other people do, however. It's just that those people don't know what their 'religions' teach, so their personal beliefs are more in line with truth. In any event, the funeral was nice.
After the funeral, in our culture, we venture forth from the church to the site of the grave and have a small service there, where a dedicatory prayer is said. My sister asked my wife and I to go with her and she would bring us back for the family dinner to be served afterwards. Mother came with us, as she is no longer as independent as she once was.
The funeral was in Sandy and the cemetery in Draper. That's a ways away. On the way, my sister thought my mother's speech was slurred more than normal. Then about five minutes from the cemetery, Mom remarked that she was having trouble speaking, and the right side of her face seemed numb, like she had just come from the dentist. We asked her to raise both arms; fine. We got to the cemetery and I got out to look at her face, and saw that the corner of her mouth was drooping.
I told a cousin that we thought Mom was having a stroke, and felt an urgency to take her to a local hospital. We left and did just that. On the way, she seemed fine, and her slight paralysis seemed to somewhat lessen.
I've taken enough time for this part of the story. If you want to know what happened, visit Ischemic Attack on wikipedia.org and read up.
So, to the point. Being my wife's birthday, we excused ourself from the hospital, with my sister's permission, and said good bye to Mom. My eldest brother and his wife were enroute, so we were sure things would be okay.
Our tradition, because of my wife's Celiac Disease and diabetes, and love for good salmon, is to order a dinner on special occasions from Outback Steakhouse. The one we prefer, and have used often (more often before I got laid off), is in Orem, Utah at 372 East 1300 South (801-764-0552) because they have wonderful food and great service. Plus, my wife can eat their food and has never had a problem with what they cook.
I called, and because of the day we've had (we didn't get anything to eat, which is especially a bad thing for my wife's diabetes), I told the young lady taking our order over the phone (we always use their "Curbside Takeaway") all we'd been through.
When I got there, it took longer than usual for our order to be brought out. I was alone because after the day we'd had, my wife was too tired to be driving all over the place. The young lady came out, finally, and I handed her my debit card, and she said, "That's okay. You've had a rough day so there will be no charge this time." (I suspect she took time before bringing my order out to ask the manager if her idea of a complimentary meal was okay; she did mention that she recognized my car. What a sweetheart!)
I weakly thanked her, while thinking how lame I am for not carrying any cash for a tip, and drove away. As I circled through the parking lot, I was overcome and began to cry. I called my bride to share the experience with her. After hanging up, I cried again. You know, getting older sure has weakened my emotional grip. I don't care, actually. I care more now than I did then.
I grew up around a lot of Polynesians. I was told "We don't eat until we are full; we eat until we are tired." It was explained that on many Islands, there is no method of preserving food from a meal, so it all has to be eaten to avoid waste. I've also learned from personal experience that if all is eaten, it won't avoid waist, at least not mine.
That part of my life developed in me a tremendous love of good food. Outback Steakhouse has good food. Tonight I ordered the usual for my wife, salmon with an extra sauce and a baked sweet potato (they actually cook yams, but they are good, too). I forgot to order her the vegetables, so felt pretty stupid when she asked where they were. I ordered a ribeye steak, which was not my usual. I usually get the Outback Special steak. I also ordered a baked sweet potato, plus a caesars salad.
This entry in my blog is meant as a tribute to the Orem, Utah Outback Steakhouse and I would be honored if you would visit them and let them know it's because of how they treated us on Monday, February 9th, 2008 after an especially difficult day.
There are few things that earn my loyalty. Honesty, fairness, discipline, consistency, and good service are among them. This restaurant has shown me all of those. Please visit soon. And tip well; I usually tip between 15% and 20% (and sometimes more) because they are worth it, in spite of being in my car and eating at home. We live about 12 miles away.
Karl
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