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Thursday, June 6, 2013

100 Days of Gratitude, Day 4: Unexpected Friends

Margo Hudson is not someone we expected to meet. She's one of the housekeeping staff at the United President's Club at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

When we met Margo, we were on a strange itinerary in May 2012 that involved a long layover in Cleveland. I arrived first and settled in, then Jim joined an hour later.

Margo takes very good care of her club. She is constantly on the lookout for items that need to be picked up, tables that need to be cleared, chairs that need to be straightened.

She came to clear our used items. Jim tried to help, and dropped a cup of ranch dressing on the floor. Upside down.

When Jim started to clean it up, Margo was horrified. "Oh no, sir, I can do that."

Jim replied, "My Grandma always said it's not wrong to make a mess, it's wrong to leave one."

Margo grinned, and we all became instant friends. She checked on us regularly, teased us about how long our layover was, and asked when we'd be back. I returned a couple days later and ended up exchanging emails.

Many months later, I flew through Cleveland again. On a whim, I stopped at the Club to see if Margo was there. She was.

"Alice! You came back! How's your friend, Jim? And where have you been since I saw you last?"

We've exchanged several emails since then, including one today: Margo was featured in Cleveland Magazine for her connection with Seeds of Literacy, as a student and now as a volunteer!

After congratulating her, we thanked Margo for being our unexpected friend and an inspiration. She's been one of the highlights of our travels, and I hope we get to see her in person again soon.

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