Before I was married, I worked in the office at a church. I loved my job. I loved what I did. But most of all, I loved the people.

Some days were quiet. Others, busy. But one thing that was constant were the “regulars” that would stop by on an almost daily basis.

There was Paul… he would come by and make sure everything in the building was running smoothly. Ruth Ann, she took care of the tape ministry and sent out cards for all occasions. Marie would come in every week and put a message on the answering machine. Lola, a spry lady in her 90’s, was in charge of the bell choir. Muriel took care of the bookkeeping and Sharla would stop by to pay the bills.

Then there was Dorothy.

It’s hard to sum up in a few sentences all that Dorothy did. It’s hard to remember all of the things that she did.

What I do know is that she was one of my favorites.

I met so many friendly people those first few weeks that I started a list. After someone stopped in, I would add their name in my notebook and write what they were in charge of.

That list grew and grew, but at the top of that list was Dorothy. And I just kept adding tasks she was involved in behind her name.

Every time she would stop in, she’d ask how things were going, and I would ask the same. It wasn’t long before I really got to know Dorothy.

She talked about her daughters, their families, her grand kids, and she talked about sports too! She loved to catch me up on the latest game that she had seen.

She always had something to share with me and I really enjoyed sharing with her too.

As I sat in church today, thinking about all the talks I had with Dorothy, I realized that she was one of those cheerleaders that God had put in my life.

She was one of those people that constantly encouraged me, just by caring.

Even after I had left the area and moved to the farm, once in a great while, I would run into Dorothy at a ball game or a restaurant. And we would pick up right where we left off, catching each other up with family news and such.

And just last fall, my son Reed got a Halloween card in the mail. It came with a cute little conversation just for him from Dorothy.

Talk about feeling loved. It had been over five years since I had left my job at the church and still this lady was showing she cared.

Today was one of the saddest days I’ve had in a long time.

But I will forever be blessed, as I will always know the value of taking time for another, by the cheerleader God sent to me named Dorothy.