My Dad Had ONE Rule… Always Set One Extra Plate

My Dad Had One Rule: Always Set One Extra Plate My dad had one rule. Every single night, we set one extra plate. For someone we hadn't met yet. We were poor. Dad fixed broken chairs for a living, and some weeks, dinner was just rice and soup. But no matter how little we had, that extra plate was always there. Next to the empty chair. I hated it. When my friends came over, they laughed. Who are you waiting for, Leo? A ghost? One night I asked him why. He just smiled and said, someone always needs it. We just don't know who yet. Most nights, the chair stayed empty. But some nights, there was a knock at the door. A soaked delivery boy who hadn't eaten all day. A tired mother with two little kids. An old man with nowhere else to go. Dad never asked questions. He just pulled out the chair and said, sit. You're family tonight. Then I grew up. I moved to the big city, got a busy job, and I forgot all about the rule. I ate dinner alone at my desk most nights. I didn't call home as often as I should have. Then one rainy night, my phone rang. Dad was gone. At his funeral, I expected maybe ten people. He was just a poor carpenter, after all. But when I opened the doors, the chapel was full. People were standing outside in the rain. A woman took my hand. Your father fed my children for a whole winter, she whispered. He saved us. A man in an expensive suit hugged me. I was that delivery boy, he said. Now I own three restaurants. Because of him. One by one, they told me. Every single person in that room had once sat in our empty chair. That night, I went back to Dad's little house. I cooked, I set the table, and I set one extra plate. And then, there was a knock at the door. Would you set the extra plate? Comment ONE MORE if you would, and follow for more stories like this.