Valjean Duchene
I recall one day vividly when I had gone to eat dinner after work in the middle of the week one evening. I don't recall the exact year. I was feeling pretty low and lonely that day since my daughter, an old friend of Rayne's, was busy with friends and I was still dealing with the death of my wife Amie. I decided on Tacos and stopped at Chuy's in Tulsa Hills. I sat in the bar area so I wouldn't have to wait to be seated and I was waiting for a server to come by and take my order when, around the corner of the bar, comes Rayne moving at a brisk pace. I did not know it at the time, but Rayne was working her tail off as a server at Chuy's, and at the time, I had not seen Rayne in years since the relationship with her and my daughter had drifted after high school, but when our eyes locked, the expression on her face moved quickly from one of determination to one of elation and joy. I can still see her face vividly in my mind. I will never forget the way her face lit up when she seen me sitting there. In that moment, her shining smile and joyful energy brightened my day so much it changed my entire mood from gloomy and sad to happiness in an instant. She came over and sat with me to talk even though she was working at the time. This beautiful girl child took time out of her busy work day to just sit and chat for a moment. She snatch every bit of sorrow that I was drowning in that day without even knowing it. I think God sent her around that corner that day to let me know that things won't always be the way they were in those moments before she burst around that corner. We talked for a short while and she caught me up on the goings on in her life and I brought her up to speed on things happening with my daughter. I have heard people call these moments "Devine Appointments" in you life. A moment where God uses an interaction to turn your day in a new direction. I am honored and glad that Rayne took time to sit with an old sad man and brighten my day. That moment truly changed my day and my life and I reflect on it all the time. Rayne was such a bright shining ball of beautiful light and spread positive energy everywhere she went. I am so glad that Rayne and my daughter were friends and that I had the opportunity to be background character in her amazing story. This all may sound silly to most people but she literally changed my life that day with her light and kindness and I am forever grateful.