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Martin Schram: This may be John Lewis’ greatest gift to us all

125420181_web1_Letter-to-the-editor1

Your view: Why you should support Black Lives Matter

Have you ever frequented a place where you see the same faces seemingly every time you go? Do they know you?
				I&rsquo;m sure that if they do, they casually smile, and in some cases jump for joy when they see you. To us, seeing you either weekly, monthly or even yearly can bring great joy.
				You&rsquo;re someone that we have obviously gotten to know through the years, and it&rsquo;s our joy to take care of you. Catching up with what you&rsquo;ve been up to, where you have been and what has happened since we last saw each other is like catching up with an old friend.
				Believe me when I tell you the lifers in this business can relate to what I write.
				Serving generations of families has been my pleasure and getting to know these families has been amazing for me through my years in the business. Starting as a young server and learning along the way, I&rsquo;ve been able and fortunate enough to get to know a lot of people over the years, watch them grow from young to old, get married, start families, and so on, and one fact still remains the same in the sense that every time I see them I feel a certain fondness and warmth.
				Watching kids grow to adults is one thing. Watching people age is another.
				It&rsquo;s all the cycle of life.
				My story starts at a place called Kazimi&rsquo;s. I was a server there for a long period of time. This is the first place I took my licks in this business, and learned most of what I know today. The drive of management there drove me to be as good as I could be. I learned to be personable there, and this is where I ultimately started to develop relationships with people that have endured for years and years.
				I still reminisce about that restaurant with people daily. Every day I talk about Kazimi&rsquo;s is a good day.
				As a young server, I knew bits and pieces of this family. Mostly, I knew them as regular diners. They liked me and I liked them.
				I developed a nice casual relationship with the parents who were retired or partially retired but still did a lot of philanthropic work for the community. They enjoyed my time, and I theirs. And every time I saw them, I knew it was going to be a good night.
				They knew how to dine, they were very casual and they were the kind of people to stop and ask how I was doing and a little about me.
				It got to the point with them that preferences and dietary restrictions didn&rsquo;t have to be muttered, and they would turn to me and ask me what they should eat that night. I think about them often, as her husband has passed and I haven&rsquo;t seen her in quite a while, but when I see their children (who are adults), it reminds me a little bit of them.
				The second generation of the family used to dine with me at a steady rate. Some while in town, some I&rsquo;d seen on a weekly rate, and I also developed a close relationship with them too.
				I know how they like their meals prepared. I know what they enjoy drinking. I even know some personal details which we catch up on when I see them. The kids are also philanthropic and help raise money for various charities in the area. The second generation and I may be as close as parents and I were, and I cherish seeing them. They remind me of such a nice time in my life.
				For more than 20 years, I have been fortunate enough to develop close relationships with many people.
				This family is one of many who I&rsquo;ve seen through so many special moments that if I hadn&rsquo;t been able to serve them, I would not have been a part of. Lifetimes of stories and laughter from family to family can be shared with me.
				Luckily, I was smart enough when I was younger to have learned to love people and get to know them each individually, and love them all respectively through years of friendship.
				Any good server would say that it&rsquo;s a privilege to serve you and your family, to mean it is something different.

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