Last Thursday started up just like any other day. Wake up at 10:30 and get ready for work at the restaurant by 12. I am a server at a Steakhouse not far from where I live and this week I had more hours during the day shift which meant that I would be there for both the lunch rush and Senior's Hour, both of them good times for making money. It didn't take long for me to realize a dangerous pattern forming though. For whatever reason, people were not tipping! I would get a dollar or two here or there but the majority of customers would leave huge messes and nothing to compensate for my hard work. As far as I could tell I was not doing anything different. Still smiling, joking with customers, and providing quick service and yet after 4 hours of work all I had to show for it was $20. Ouch! Before I left for the day I remarked to a fellow server that "I'm not doing this out of charity here!" I was not in the best of moods.

Friday morning as I made my morning offering: Oh my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings... my heart sank. Had I not made this same offering the day before? My remark from the previous day raced through my mind. "I'm not doing this out of charity"... I thought about this. What if I could do my work out of charity? My job's very name is server, so why not take joy in doing that? Concentrate on the work more than the suffering and do my job for love of my neighbor, whoever they may be, and trust God to take care of my bills. I decided to try my best.

Needless to say, Friday was one of my best days ever. Sure there were issues that needed to be resolved, but if not, then where is the love? Thursday reminded me that if all your actions are not guided by love of Him, that it will show in your daily actions and will affect how your day will go. I'm not saying that there will not still be bad days ahead, but at least now my heart and mind are in the right place so I can accept them when He so chooses.