Earlier this year I posted about the wonderful customer service experience my son and I have every time we donate blood at the nearest Red Cross center. That post was about the dear old lady who serves us drinks and snacks (along with a hug) after we donate. I praised her customer service that makes us smile and want to go back there.
Following the visit near the time of that previous post, I wrote an email to the Red Cross praising Granny for how she treats people. I got a thank-you card in the mail shortly thereafter from the office, but I wasn’t sure how it was communicated to Granny. As of Saturday, I know.
My son, Jason, and I went to donate Saturday morning and, as usual, Granny was there. Even though it had been a much longer interval between donations than usual, Granny put two and two together quickly. She approached Jason in the snack area and asked if his last name was Ross. When he confirmed it, she started telling the story of what happened when I wrote the letter earlier this year. She had been on the lookout ever since for a father-son pair named Ross who donates there.
When I was through with my donation and went to the snack area, she immediately came up to me and gave me the biggest, sweetest hug, thanking me for the letter and telling me about how the manager was told about it, how she was told, and how she told her family. They apparently gave her some nice thing to hang up on her wall which she proudly showed her children and family.
It made me happy to make her happy and to help her have a proud moment in front of others. She deserves it.
In Granny’s case, I am fortunate to hear something about the impact of a simple letter of appreciation. Much of the time, though, we don’t have the opportunity to know about the ripple effect of our words and deeds, so be careful on the splash you make in the world.
Leap year lesson #294 is There is a ripple effect, whether you see it or not.
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