Cultivating Courage

Marble Women's Ministry Lent Blog 2026

Letter to a Kind Receptionist

Dear kind receptionist,

I realize I don’t even know your name, but you had a profound impact on me. I had come to the doctor’s office where you worked for a visit that filled me with anxiety. I had no idea what to expect or what I would be told. 

You were there at the front desk. The first person I saw when I came off of the elevator. You had a warm, gentle smile on your face. You looked at me. And I knew you saw me.

You checked me in and spoke gentle words of encouragement. You invited me to sit in a chair in the waiting room close to the desk where you were working. When I was called into the office, you said, “It’s going to be o.k.” 

And…in the end…it was. It was o.k.

I went back to that office two weeks later to learn your name and thank you for your kindness to me that day. But you were gone. I was told you did not work there anymore and they couldn’t give me any information about who you were or where you had gone.

So, today, as I write a letter of gratitude to someone whose name I will never know, I say “thank you” to God for placing you in the right place at the right time. And I say “thank you” to the universe hoping the message somehow gets to you, wherever you are. Whoever you are.

You made a difference in my life that day, and I am grateful for your kindness and love.

Until we meet again.

Elise

2 responses to “Letter to a Kind Receptionist”

  1. Madeline Bialecki Avatar

    When I accompanied my friend to his cancer-treatment visits, I was often aware of the difference one person–who was just doing her or his job–could make. Someone who sees the person standing there, who acknowledges the challenge of the moment–and then, poof, just gone. Must have been an angel.

  2. Patrice Donnell Avatar
    Patrice Donnell

    Every encounter matters!

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Cultivating Courage

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading