Eating together has always been an essential part of our lives.

While some of us can eat alone comfortably, we cannot deny the relevance and the benefits of sharing a meal with our loved ones. Be it friends or family, co-workers or teammates, eating together fosters a stronger bond and a sense of community.

But not everyone has the luxury of dining in company.

Brooke Hepburn, a woman from San Antonio, Texas, shared her experience of dining alone.

She posted her short story on Facebook and it has since been liked over 2 million times. This heartwarming story shows how much company means while enjoying your favorite meal.

In her Facebook post, Hepburn said she encountered an elderly woman trailing behind her.

Hepburn planned on having lunch in the same restaurant as the woman.

“Today I went to eat at a restaurant for lunch and I saw this elder lady coming from afar so I waited to hold the door for her, she was very thankful and sweet.”

They both entered the establishment, then she heard the woman ask for something that made Hepburn’s heart sink a bit.

The elderly woman asked for a “table for one.”

Hepburn hesitated for a bit, maybe to not appear as intrusive, but later on, she gave in. She walked to the elderly woman and told her that she, too, was about to eat alone. Then, she offered that they just eat together.

The woman was ecstatic.

Hepburn didn’t know it yet but she just gave the stranger one of the best gifts one could receive. The woman introduced herself as Delores, and she has spent the last decade living with her mother who recently passed away. She also lived with her aunt but she was recently put in a nursing home. This meant that Delores, who was so used to eating with someone, might have been spending dinner time alone.

But that day, even just for a meal, she doesn’t have to eat so quietly. That day, she enjoyed her meal and filled it with smiles and stories. Even just for a moment, she felt that someone was truly and sincerely listening to her.

Hepburn then shared that they’ll be having lunch every Thursday from then on.

This simple and random act of kindness isn’t as isolated as we thought. In Alabama, a group of friends invited a lonely old woman to their table so she wouldn’t have to eat alone.

https://www.facebook.com/newsnercom/posts/1968728579961110

“My exact thought was, ‘Dang I’d hate to have to eat alone,’” Jamario Howard wrote on Facebook. “So after thinking about it a minute, I walked over to her and asked if I could sit with her.”

And just like Hepburn’s encounter, Howard’s friendly gesture came at a meaningful time. It turns out, the woman lost her husband and she’d be celebrating their wedding anniversary the next day. That was the reason why she was eating out and alone.

The encounter resonated so much with Howard that he reiterated the importance of spending more time with family and embracing kindness.

Unfortunately for Hepburn, their Thursday lunch date would be their last. Delores passed away soon after her post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSPWeBzrjHz/

But she would never forget how Delores touched her life, even for just one lunchtime, they shared with each other.

“Her words healed my heart just as much as I healed her lonely one.”

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Facebook – Brooke Ochoa Hepburn, Facebook – Newsner.com, University of Oxford, People, Instagram – @artsofutopia