Breakfast, Pottery, and a Wedding

Early last Friday morning, Chad and I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a very special weekend with several people in our family.  Brad and Melinda flew out Thursday night.  Upon our arrival in Albuquerque, we were met at the airport by my niece and her soon to be husband.  We went to breakfast together at “Tim’s Place” which is “Opened for Breakfast, Lunch, and Hugs” to eat, visit, and talk about the wedding.  I had read an article about the owner Tim, who was born with Down Syndrome, and had seen him interviewed so I was excited about the possibility of eating there and possibly meeting him.  My niece, Randi, and Tim went to high school together.   A few years after graduating college, Tim’s parents were looking for ways to help him continue to be successful.  Since he had worked in restaurants with positive responses, they looked in to him owning his own place.

When we arrived at “Tim’s Place” we were officially welcomed by Tim with a hug and greeting.  When he found out I was from Houston, he wanted to make sure I knew about the waiter who had stood up for a family with a special needs child.  The food was delicious and there was such a positive, happy feel to the place from Tim, the workers, and even the other customers.  How refreshing to see a young man use his gifts and abilities to make a difference in his community. 

 

 

Saturday morning, I went with my sister and brother-in-law to Hanselmann Pottery in Corrales, New Mexico.  It was another memorable experience.  As we walked in, there was no one else in the store, not even a salesperson.  The beautiful pottery was displayed on tables and hanging on the walls.  When you found what you wanted to buy, you simply followed the directions on the sign:  fill out a sales form, with the tax rate listed (a calculator was provided); include your payment or credit card information on the form; fold the paper and drop it in the locked box; then wrap your purchases in the provided paper.  It was remarkable to be in a place that  expected and trusted customers to be honest in their payments.  We left feeling like we had been in a very unique place.

 

 

And the highlight of the weekend was the wedding for Randi and Michael.  Randi is the daughter of Gary and my sister, Vicki.  It was such an incredibly special day.  Randi looked beautiful and she and Michael were so happy.  Our son, Chad, performed the ceremony.  There is a lot of love when you have known your cousin all of her life.  The wedding and reception were so nice.  We enjoyed celebrating the wonderful occasion with family and friends.  Vicki would have loved Michael and been very pleased that he and Randi chose each other.  Welcome to the family Michael.  We love you, too.

 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8