Elena and her daughter at the right. READ THEIR STORY
We sat down and were browsing the menu, and I noticed a stocky Hispanic gentleman across the room talking with his friend. I found out later his name was Gonzalo.
Every couple of minutes Gonzalo's face broke into a smile, and as he talked he was smiling almost all the time. I had a hard time not to stare. I jolly face means a jolly spirit, and I at once wanted to know this man better.
We ordered, mine was Huavos Rancheros, and Elizabeth got the Migas Plate. Migas is Spanish for scrambled eggs with tortilla pieced mixed in and bits of jalapeno and other secret ingredients.
As we ate I noticed people were talking to one another, and this is not as common today as it used to be. The atmosphere of suspicion from Washington DC and other creeps on high has filtered down, and people are starting to go quiet. This is the well used plan of Mao Tse Tung and Joseph Stalin. People who stop talking to each other never revolt.
An Anglo lady got up and went to pay at the counter. While she was standing there Ganzalo was trying to figure out when some event took place. The lady told him it was held in Houston, and Ganzalo asked when. Gonzalo broke into a huge smile and chatted with the lady. She then came over near us and hugged the manager of the restaurant before she left.
An Anglo man came in and sat down with Gonzalo and his friend, and the three started talking in Spanish back and forth with English tossed in where the English word was better. I told Elizabeth I sure was disappointed that the High School I attended in Kenya only offered French and Latin. I could sure use Spanish now in Texas.
Gonzalo kept haunting me with his jolly smile. Finally, we were done, and I went over to pay. Afterward, I stopped and told Gonzalo he had really made my day with his smile and merry heart. Well, I got the smile of the day from Gonzalo, and he at once told me that we were all expected by God to be joyful. He went on to say that we should wake up every day and be thankful and thank God for another day.
I shared with him that when we lose a merry heart and a smile we actually go down physical. He said that Solomon had said something about that, and I quoted, Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Solomon also said, Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
So, will the panic mongers and fear purveyors of the web and the media rob us of a merry heart and a joyful countenance? I hope not, and I think I will get back to Elena's soon to see if I can have another visit with Gonzalo.
TO GONZALO:
See, Amigo, I told you I would use your smile on my blog.
The Mexican gentleman at the right is Carlos Slim, the man with a billion dollar smile.But, Gonzalo's smile is double the money and free if you can catch him at Elena's.
