Welcome to Grateful Heart Monday where my week always begins with a piece of gratitude from my life, which for today is for a customer service supervisor from Delta who truly offered me a blessing when I most needed it.
I’m sure many could probably think of at least an unpleasant experience or two they’ve had during a call to one of those 800-number customer service hotlines. I know I sure have, but thankfully a few weeks ago that wasn’t the case when I ended up having to call Delta’s 800 number late one Tuesday night to cancel a flight I was on that was only two days away. After suddenly learning that my sister’s husband’s resentments of me had led to him spoiling the surprise of me coming to visit for her 50thbirthday weekend, I was asked by my sister, who was in a terrible state of anxiety and stress because of it, to reschedule my trip to a later date, one she knew where her husband was going to be away. Needless to say, it would be a gross understatement in saying I wasn’t in the best of headspace when I dialed Delta’s number.
Given I had a non-refundable ticket, I didn’t have very high hopes of what that call was going to achieve, especially after having to wait for a 50-minute callback and another 45 minutes on top of that due to the first agent having constant computer malfunctions. But, my first piece of gratitude came when I was transferred to a supervisor who was very friendly and actually open to listening to all what I was going through. For a good ten minutes I opened up about my struggles with my physical pain, all the issues I had with my sister’s husband, and the state of my mental health over it all. On some level, this woman became like a therapist who was simply willing to listen, something that I often feel many customer service agents don’t do. Thankfully this one did. Because at the end of it, she told me she understood and was willing to change my ticket to the future date with no penalties whatsoever. Even better, the rescheduled flight was about $40 cheaper and became a Delta credit for any flight I may book down the road. But, the biggest blessing came when I asked her name at the end of that call, because it was one that I feel was maybe God sending me a message through.
What was her name?
Grace.
And boy did I get that from her, a lot in fact.
So yes, I feel that I received much of God’s grace through a woman named the same, simply by her just listening to me, offering compassion, and changing my flight with no issues whatsoever. I’m sure when I actually board the new flight a few months from now that I’ll be thinking of her and silently expressing my gratitude to God for a woman He named Grace because I sure got a lot of that late one Tuesday night on a call to Delta’s customer service.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson