When we don’t feel like cooking or when we want to meet up with friends, we love going out to eat. There are certain restaurants that we frequent with our kids (because of the kid-friendly menu options and the noise level is loud enough that nobody will know or care if our kids are loud), and there are other restaurants that we go to for date nights or adults-only get-togethers with friends (because they don’t have kids menus and our kids would find them boring).

Even though we enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, it’s really nice to have someone else do the cooking and to enjoy a meal with the friends or family at the table with us.

We don’t often go to restaurants alone. A coffee shop to grab a latte, sure, but otherwise, we’re usually with someone, like our kids or spouse, or we’re meeting up with a few friends.

Things can change depending on your life phase. As people get older, there isn’t always someone around to join them at a restaurant. Kids grow up and move away, busy with their own families. Friends aren’t as eager to leave their homes, perhaps due to illnesses or watching their grandkids. Spouses pass away.

Jamario Howard was at a restaurant called Brad’s Bar-B-Que with two of his friends. As they were sitting at the table together, he looked over and noticed an older woman sitting at a table all by herself. His immediate thought was “dang I’d hate to have to eat alone.”

Howard went over to the woman’s table and asked if he could sit down at the table with her. She said yes, so he did, and they started talking. He found out that her name was Eleanor, and she ended up telling Howard that her husband passed away and that the following day would have been their 60th wedding anniversary.

Howard invited Eleanor to join him and his friends at their table. She did. She was excited to talk to them, and they had a wonderful meal together.

The experience impacted Howard so much that he just had to post about it on Facebook. He included a picture of the four of them at dinner, and he ended the post by saying,

This woman changed my outlook on life and how i look at other people. Everyone has a story so do not judge! And people i can’t stress this enough. GO SEE YOUR MOM AND YOUR GRANDPARENTS. They miss you!!

This post has now been shared over 46,000 times, and there are more than 15,000 comments, most of which are impressed with this kind action. One person wrote, “What a good man you are. I lost my husband a year-and-a-half ago after 50 years. Sometimes it’s hard eating alone.”

Another comment reads, “Not only did you all make a huge difference in this womans life, but you also did with all of us reading this article. Thank you all for making this world a better place!”

When was the last time you went to see your mom and grandparents? If you’re a mom or grandparent with adult children, when was the last time you saw them?