In a few weeks, we’ll get together with loved ones, stuff ourselves silly, maybe watch a parade or some football. And if you really believe in the spirit of Thanksgiving like I do, you’ll take a moment to reflect on all the things in life to be grateful for.
Gratitude is so powerful. It’s humbling to feel it. Inspiring to receive it. The toughest job can suddenly seem so much more manageable when we know it’s appreciated.
So I want to share a few words of thanks with all of you. But not my words. They’re from the folks at the top of our organizational chart: the people of San Diego. They’re the real boss around here. We do everything for them. When they say good things about us, there’s no higher praise.
Many of our customers take the time to send thank-you messages about employees, and they often get passed along to me. I wanted to pick out just a few to share.
Let’s start with a “fun” one for an Animal Control officer:
“Four rattlesnakes in the house, hissing at houseguests and blocking the front door! You are the greatest! He got here in about 20 min! I am so appreciative.”
That gives me the willies just reading about it! “Appreciative” doesn’t begin to describe how I’d feel about someone who answered a call to remove snakes from my house.
Here’s one from someone who visited our Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk office in El Cajon:
“From the moment I approached the building to the security officer who opened the door, signing in, and waiting for my appointment and then having the work done, I was treated with such courtesy. The staff here is top notch and good natured. This experience was so nice. Thank you very much!!!”
What I love about that one is obviously the person dealt with several employees and had a good experience throughout the visit. That consistency sends a message that they didn’t just get lucky that day, but that exceptional service is part of who we are at the County.
Who wants to get involved in a family fight? At Child Support Services, they’re often in a very delicate position as they work to make sure kids get what they need. These children really depend on us. One parent recognized the challenges of the job in a letter to the department. Here’s part of what she wrote:
“This support issue has been an ongoing and contentious one. The interventions and efforts taken by your agency have profoundly changed the economic situation within this household. Every payment has had a positive impact on my daughter’s life.
“I know that sometimes the job must get difficult. Custodial and non-custodial parents deal with high emotions, and sometimes present as beyond dysfunctional. But you folks press on. It’s all for the kids. Thank you a million times over.
“She will have a much better life because of so many people we do not even know.”
Sometimes it’s a huge effort to help a customer. Sometimes, just one simple gesture can mean the world to someone. This is Parks Director Brian Albright’s account of a very touching moment at one of our parks.
“A woman and her 94-year-old mother recently visited San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center because they had heard about Franklin, the Center’s resident tortoise. The 94-year-old mother was near death and had shared with her daughter that the one thing she wanted to do before the end of her life was to touch a tortoise. Because the elderly woman was so frail, she was unable to get out of the car. Park Attendant Tim Leon walked Franklin out to the car so the woman could touch his shell. A few days later the elderly woman passed away. Her daughter has a lasting memory of the positive way that DPR touched her life by enabling her and her mother to share that experience, and she is forever grateful to DPR.”
You always hear, “it’s the little things that count.” Never forget that one little thing any of us does can make such a lasting impression.
One more. We got a wonderful handwritten letter from a woman who has been through a lot. She is a single mother, and one of her children is disabled. She has endured domestic violence and homelessness. She was able to get a fresh start through the CalWORKS housing support program and is now just full of enthusiasm and goals for herself and family. It’s a long letter, but here are a few lines:
“I just want everyone that made this possible to know how grateful I truly am. I cannot find the words to say to prove how happy I am.
“I am always concerned and consumed with [her son’s] health. With our own apartment we can all grow together and love each other in healthier doses. I can’t wait to just focus on my children and keep them happy, healthy and SAFE. I just want to say thank you. None of the above would be possible without the pilot program and the individuals that made it possible.
“You guys have no idea what this program is actually going to do for us. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.”
Those are the people we work for. Those are the stories we live for.
I’m highighting only a few here, but know that there are so, so many more. Each one a testament to the amazing work you all do each day, all year.
I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving. And I want to repeat our letter writer, but this time it’s me to all of you: thank you, thank you, thank you.
