I love you Miss Mattie…

Have I told you about Miss Mattie?

No? Well then…
Miss Mattie is quite possibly the nicest person I have ever met. And I know I have never met anyone that has as much pure joy as Miss Mattie. She is an older African-American lady who is a security guard at the Woodruff Arts Center where I work. She watches out for us and she mostly directs patrons to wherever they need to go. She is a customer service dream. I have never witnessed anyone like her. Not even at Walmart.

But the most magnetic things about Miss Mattie are her joy, her faith and her smile. Most days when I leave work I purposefully try to find her so I can hug her and listen to her “word” - her daily wisdom. She always has encouraging words for me. I have even seen her on various occasions praying with other people who work at the Arts Center.

Awesome. I want her boldness.

I wish I could accurately express to her how much she builds me up and encourages me in my faith. I could be having the worst day but run into Miss Mattie and instantly be reminded of the big picture. I think God really smiles when people run into her.

She is just such a reminder to me of how powerful joy is. If you got it…boy can people see it. I love that. And pure joy is so rare these days that when you have it, it really grabs people’s attention. Next time somebody asks you how you are doing, tell them that you are outstanding and see how they react. What? You aren’t just “fine”, no – I am outstanding thank you very much.

There have only been two occasions when I could tell that Miss Mattie was going through some rough times. And in those times, her belief that “although tears last the night, joy comes in the morning” always amazed me. I want to be more like her.

Also, she calls me “Doctor” because I look like her doctor.

I love you Miss Mattie…