This morning the boys in our family (bed-heads and all) decided we should go out for breakfast to a little breakfast club we belong to. Fred’s is an establishment of it’s own kind. We love it and enjoy every breakfast we eat there. The environment is the best by some distance as there truly is no stranger. Today as we waited for stools along the counter and sipped our coffee I caught an older couple watching my children from their stools. The gentleman smiled a rather large smile at me and tapped his chest. I wasn’t sure what he meant exactly, but simply smiled back in return. He seemed like a very nice person with a lovely, gentle smile and joyful eyes. As our name was called and we went to take the 5 stools next to their two he said to me “I thought they (meaning my boys) looked like angels but now I know why.” And he pointed to his chest again as to say the logo on their shirts gave it away. He then said, “we belong to that parish too”. Once we established that we belonged to the same church the conversation didn’t end until it was time for them to give up their stools to the next couple waiting to be served. It was truly one of those mornings where we were in the right place at the right time.
As the gentleman introduced himself as Gonzolo Ponce-De-Leon my 11 year old asked, “like the explorer?” Mr. Ponce-De-Leon proceeded to tell us how he is of the same lineage, in fact is the 13th generation, of the family of Juan Ponce-De-Leon. Talk about perfect timing. My son is studying the expedition of Juan Ponce-De-Leon to find the fountain of youth, which led to the discovery of Florida, in social studies class. Once this fact was established, Mr. Ponce-De-Leon gave my son a quick history lesson on a napkin. He told my son that he should now be guaranteed an A+ on his project. As always, I had my camera with me and asked Mr. Ponce-De-Leon if he would mind if I took a picture of him with my son to show his teacher and classmates. Mr. Ponce-De-Leon very graciously obliged my request, thus the photos you see below.
We always meet fabulous and interesting people when we visit Fred’s for breakfast, but today was the best yet! And we look forward to seeing Mr. and Mrs. Ponce-De-Leon at church now that we know them and will recognize them.
The Right Place at the Right Time
A History Lesson over Breakfast
To learn more about the life of Juan Ponce-De-Leon you can visit the link below:
Robyn Graham Photography 
what an awsome gift for you all, and great shots to boot!
It so was Buck! Thanks! Happy new year to you!
Happy New Year to you and yours too!
That’s amazing. When I was in school and first heard about the fountain of youth, we were only maybe 5 generations removed from Senor Juan Ponce-de-Leon.
Time flies Paul….we just don’t age. Hehe!
That was the best holiday gift for your son, I think 🙂
And . . . Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, Robyn.
Yes, Chris, it was special for him. Thank you for the happy new year wishes. I hope you have a wonderful 2013 as well. Blessings, Robyn
Great story!
Thanks Karen!