Could You Use a Little Jesus?

The Lincoln Diner is my go-to lunch spot when I head over to the Gettysburg battlefield for a long walk and some Sabbath time nearly every week. I usually park myself in a booth or at the lunch counter with a book and my journal and enjoy the ambience of this very old school American eatery that serves nothing by the most comfortable of comfort foods. I’ve been coming here for years, ever since I lived across the railroad tracks during one of my summers working for the National Park Service. The diner’s food was (and is) inexpensive and plentiful and the service is always friendly.

A few Fridays ago, my server seemed to be a bit stressed. The lunch crowd has been picking up at the weather has been getting nicer, and a steadily stream of tourists and locals pack the place out. The wait staff hustles from kitchen to booth to table in a blur, and I imagine that a busy shift at the diner must sometimes feel like the culinary equivalent of a trauma center (“Give me a patty melt and fries, stat!”). It sometimes feels odd to find this a place of peace for me when there is so much chaos swirling around. Continue Reading……