When God Showed Up at Rainforest Café

            Thanks to the generosity of some friends, my husband and I had the rare treat of going on a mini-vacation. We’ve dreamed about going to Disneyland some time—he’s never been, and I haven’t gone in the ten years that we’ve been together. We’d be going to Disneyland specifically to see the sights and experience the atmosphere, since the majority of the rides aren’t accessible for someone who can’t transfer from their wheelchair. A lovely, kind couple at church gave us money to spend on something fun, and that put us in the price range to be able to do something close to going to Disneyland: visiting Downtown Disney to eat a meal and hang out.

            The shopping and dining district would provide a taste of the Disney experience without the cost of theme-park tickets. (Even the parking is free for five hours as long as you pay for a sit-down meal.) We chose the most thematic restaurant for our late lunch: Rainforest Café. From our research, it looked to have the sort of immersive, otherworldly atmosphere we were looking for.

            But the real treat about our adventure was entirely unexpected. Typically when we’ve gone out to eat, we’ve had kind, helpful servers, so we aren’t surprised when that happens. This waiter, however, took considerate service to a whole other level. He was friendly and talkative when we met him, telling us about his recent move from Florida and wondering aloud whether there was something wrong with the ice in California (apparently our request for no ice in our waters was one he had, to his surprise, encountered often here. We explained that the water was simply cold enough as-is).

            What really impressed us, though, was our server’s attentiveness to Ariel’s special needs. Ariel ordered a broth-y soup with large pieces of spinach and sausage. We didn’t realize until he started trying to eat it that it was a bit challenging for him to hold the spoon steady enough, for long enough, to get this particular soup to his mouth. Precise arm movements can be difficult with his muscle weakness, especially if he’s tired.

The server noticed that Ariel was making slow progress and asked if he wanted to swap the food for something else. Ariel still wanted the soup, but he decided after a few minutes that a mug might enable him to drink it better. So this thoughtful waiter brought him not only a mug but a fresh serving of soup. Then he offered us extra fries (that’s a definite yes!). He even came back a bit later and offered to get us free fountain drinks, and he told Ariel that he could give him more broth when he had space in his mug, to make the soup easier to drink. He also made us feel completely comfortable staying for a long time, since we needed a while to work through the soup (as it turned out, the mug was pretty heavy, so I ended up lifting it to Ariel’s mouth and feeding him spoonfuls of it). Overall, the waiter just really seemed concerned with making sure we enjoyed our time at Rainforest Café.

I often find it frustrating that people don’t recognize how everyday tasks can throw roadblocks up in front of Ariel and me. Several times we’ve dealt with hospital workers who seem like they don’t know anything about what it’s like to have muscular dystrophy. For example, when we spent two weeks in the hospital with pneumonia in lieu of a honeymoon, I was amazed at how often I had to explain to nurses and technicians that Ariel can’t change position in bed, that he can’t support himself in a semi-seated position, and that he can’t lift things while lying down. Many things are much harder for him without the support of his wheelchair.

Now, we weren’t in a healthcare setting at all, and we encountered someone who noticed that Ariel’s disability might be compromising his enjoyment and then went out of his way to do something about it. That was such an encouraging and refreshing experience for me. It made me feel seen and understood in a small but meaningful way. I knew not only that the server was seeing us, but that God was seeing us. Sometimes another person’s kindness is exactly what I need to remind me that God is present and is working good in our lives. We know that God always sees us, but when He pulls back the curtain a little to let us see Him seeing us—that’s special.