Seasons and Horizons

Discovering God’s quiet gifts in the ordinary moments of life’s journey.

Sometimes the little wonders aren’t dramatic.

Sometimes they’re so small that you don’t even realize they happened until later.

This evening I saw one of the hotel staff walking down the hallway. She had been gone for a few days, so I walked over to meet her.

“Where have you been hiding?” I asked with a smile.

She laughed and told me she’d been sick. She thought it might have been food poisoning or a stomach bug. I told her I’d wondered the same thing a few days earlier after I spent a night with a terrible headache, aching muscles, and just feeling miserable. We talked for a minute, glad we were both feeling better.

Then I asked if she could email me a copy of my receipt.

Without asking my name.

Without asking my room number.

She simply opened the computer and started pulling up my information.

Then she looked up and asked, “Is your email still…?” as she confirmed the address she already had on file.

It wasn’t until I walked away that it hit me.

She had recognized me before I ever reached the front desk.

She already knew who I was.

That probably doesn’t sound like much.

But in a hotel where people check in and out every day, it meant something to me.

Not because she remembered my email address.

Because she remembered me.

I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels over the years.

This was the first time someone remembered me so naturally that they never even had to ask my name.

It’s a small thing.

The kind of thing most people would probably forget by tomorrow.

But I won’t.

Maybe that’s another one of God’s quiet gifts.

To be remembered.

To be seen.

To realize that even the smallest moments of kindness can leave a lasting impression.

Sometimes the little wonders aren’t found in extraordinary places.

Sometimes they’re waiting at the front desk.