As a hotel general manager, I spend a lot of time responding to guest reviews, voicemail messages, and connecting with clients. I also work with our team to ensure that I'm always seizing opportunities to connect with our team members in meaningful ways throughout the day. It's a lot of work, but I'm happy to throw myself into it because of something that inspired me many years ago. 

Let me tell you about a conversation I had with a friend I met while attending a cooking class in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

My family and I were enjoying an unforgettable vacation in Iceland. I had signed up for a cooking class in the city to learn three authentic Icelandic dishes. It was a slow day for the class, and there were only two students registered for the course. I was one of the students, and the second was a Rancher from Texas who also owned a small boutique hotel located on her ranch. She and her husband were both explorers at heart and enjoyed seeing the world and learning about new cultures. 

We had just finished cooking our first course, a small lunch-sized dish of arctic char over a bed of fennel salad with an orange vinaigrette, and we had some time to talk. Inevitably, we ended up talking about American politics, as you do with Texas Ranchers, I suppose. I indicated that once upon a time, my family had a brief interaction with President Bill Clinton. My new friend's eyes narrowed a bit; she smiled slightly and raised her right eyebrow, and said, "oh, did you really?" At first, I didn't know if this was a hostile response; after all, Texans arent' necessarily known for their appreciation of Democrat presidents. A moment later, I interpreted her reaction as an expression of genuine curiosity when she followed up by saying, "I'd really like to hear that." So I told her the story

Years before this, my mother worked in media advertising in Edmonton. Her media outlet was sponsoring a major event where President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. My Mom was a huge fan of the President and was looking forward to meeting him in person before he took to the stage. Sadly, Mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and would not be well enough to attend the event. She and many others were very disappointed on so many levels. 

Each day, my Dad would come home from his walks to the mailbox with hands full of cards from friends and family around the world who were wishing us well. One day, there was a card that stood out. It was in a very different-looking envelope. It indicated it contained presidential correspondence. Sure enough, my Mom opened the envelope and found a personalized note from President Bill Clinton. It read, 

Dear Carol: 

I was deeply saddened to learn of your illness and wanted you to know I'm pulling for you. Hang in there! Hillary and I wish you a very happy birthday and are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. 

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

My Texan friend smiled as I told the story, and she said to me, "Wow, that's impressive; you can tell a lot about someone from a story like that. Being kind is never a wasted effort."

She was right. The 42nd President of the United States took a moment to send a card to a lady living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This simple, unexpected act of kindness made a huge difference. It continues to impact me to this day. It made an impact because we all recognized that the time of a former US president is precious. It impacted me because my Mom's time at that stage was also an appreciating commodity. She was losing time. Mom's battle with cancer would end two months later. 

"That's a great story. Thank you so much for sharing," said my friend as we washed the dishes and prepared to cook the second-course meal. At that point, I said, 

"This story with the President doesn't end here; it picks up again two years later..."

TO BE CONTINUED…

NEXT FRIDAY AUGUST 27