Spectacular Encounter!!!

I need to back up just a bit in our journey to share something really cool that happened to us in Nova Scotia after we left Rick and Shirley's.

We stopped at Tim's (Tim Hortons) in Oxford, Nova Scotia. The car needed gas and we needed coffee. Larry and Tyler went next door to get gas, while Jake, Brittney and I stood in line at Tim's to get coffee. We put in our order but the cashier advised it would be a minute or two as she had just put on a fresh pot. In the meantime, two, well-dressed businessmen had came in and got in line behind us. They were talking to each other as they waited in line and didn't appear to notice us. They chatted away with each other as they waited.

I had my Tim's card out and ready to pay for our coffee but when the cashier brought our coffees over (before I had a chance to hand over my card), Jake whipped out a $10.00 bill and announced,

"I'm going to pay for this.".

These business men immediately took note and turned their attention to Jake, commenting on how he must have a paper route or other entrepreneurial venture going in order to treat his family.

Jake, immediately broke into story telling these men (and all the other customers in line, the cashiers and anyone else who was around) his story....how he sells cookies, how long he's been doing it, how much he's made, how we live in Newfoundland now but used to live in Ontario, when we moved.....he covered all of the bases. *grin* These business men seemed quite taken with Jake and one of them asked for his address. He told Jake he was going to send him something in the mail and it would be waiting for Jake when we got back or shortly after we returned.

For the rest of the trip Jake was excited about this....wondering *who* these men were and just what they were going to send him.

There was nothing waiting when we returned, but Jake has been watching the mail every day. Yesterday, a package finally arrived. It was addressed to "Master Jake _____" at the "Pouch Cove Cookie Company".

He eagerly opened the package to find the book "Always Fresh"...written by Ron Joyce. Ron Joyce is the man who took a one location only store, one that was almost failing, an unknown store by the name of Tim Hortons (Donuts) and turned it into the huge empire it is today (For those of you outside of Canada...Tim Hortons coffee shops are all over the place....one article I read said there are 3000 locations...not sure if there are more than that now or not....but it is huge).

We opened the book to find a two page note written by one of the business men we had met in line at Tim's that day (this businessman himself is CEO of a huge Canadian company with branches all across Canada). He must be friends with Ron Joyce, as he mentioned in his letter to Jake he had told Ron Joyce all about Jake. Also listening in to the story was a successful stock broker. In addition to the letter from the business man, there were two personal messages one from the stock broker wishing Jake well....and one from Ron Joyce!

Ron Joyce's message read:

"Hi Jake You have a great future. Don't compete to tough on Tim Hortons. Ron Joyce" (Sounds like he's really nervous about the upcoming competition....doesn't it? wink wink lol)

How cool is that to have a signed copy of the book with a personalized message from a man who has created such a huge Canadian empire????

One further thing, there was a business card of this man we met at Tim's that day, the one who sent the book. That business card allowed us to search and see he himself is CEO of a large company as I mentioned above. In his letter to Jake, he also mentioned he is sending (separately) to Jake a portable cookie stand from which to sell his cookies from! That hasn't arrived yet, but Jake is on the mail watch once again.

This man also went on to give Jake some sound business tips....one which was to always be known as a man of his word. Great advice.

We are truly humbled and taken aback that men of such positions would take the time to show such an interest in Jake.