Fwd: Fw: a cup of coffee on the wall?

[Chathuraka]

 

A cup of Coffee on the Wall (WAA)

This is a very heartfelt practice ....wouldn't it be nice to do this here???
What a nice gesture


  I sat with a friend in a high-class coffee shop in a small town near 
  Venice, Italy. As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat at an 
  empty table beside us.
 
  He called the waiter and placed his order saying, "Two cups of 
  coffee, one of them there on the wall." We heard this order with 
  some interest and observed that he was served with only one cup of 
  coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the waiter pasted a 
  piece of paper on the wall with the words written 'A Cup of Coffee'.
 
  While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three 
  cups of coffee, "Two on the table and one on the wall." They had 
  only two cups of coffee but paid for three and left. This time 
  again, the waiter did the same; he pasted a piece of paper on the 
  wall saying, 'A Cup of Coffee'.

 It seemed that this gesture was a norm at this place. However, it 
  was something unique and perplexing for us. Since we had nothing to 
  do with the matter we finished our coffee, paid the bill and left.
 
  After a few days, we happened to visit this coffee shop again. While 
  we were enjoying our coffee, a man entered. The way the man was 
  dressed did not match the standard nor the atmosphere of the coffee
 shop.
 
  Poverty was evident from the look on his face and his attire. As he 
  seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, "One cup of coffee 
  from the wall please." The waiter served a coffee to this man with 
  the customary respect and dignity.

The man drank his coffee and left without paying. We were amazed to 
 watch all this when we also noticed that the waiter took off a piece 
of paper from the wall and threw it in the dust bin. Then it dawned 
on us what this custom was all about. The great respect for the 
  needy shown by the inhabitants of this town welled up our eyes with
 tears.

Coffee is not a need of our society, nor a necessity of life. The 
 point to note is that when we take pleasure in any blessing, maybe 
we also need to think about those people who appreciate that 
  specific blessing as much as we do but they cannot afford to have it.

 Note the character of the waiter, who is playing a consistent and 
  generous role to get the communication going between the affording 
  and the needy with a smile on his face

  Ponder upon this man in need. He enters the coffee shop without 
 having to lower his self-esteem. He has no need to beg for a free 
cup of coffee. He only looked at the wall, placed an order for 
 himself, enjoyed his coffee and left.
 
 When we analyze this story, along with the other characters, we need 
 to remember the role played by the wall that reflects the generosity 
 and care of the dwellers of this town. What a way to show compassion 
and maintain human dignity for all.