Old Secretary: Gifts

To the vast majority of the people for whom I have worked, I would say: “Don’t bother. I appreciate respect, gratitude and honesty much more than any thoughtless, hurried gift you mistakenly believe I expect.” There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. I worked for an attorney several years ago who gave me gifts that almost brought me to tears on more than one occasion simply because he took the time to get to know me and in the process learned what was important to me. In 1994, my husband had a double lung transplant which, as I’m sure you can imagine, is not only life-changing, but an event which becomes a major part of your life. A few days before Secretary’s Day, Bob came to my desk and asked if there was a transplant organization to which he could make a donation on my behalf as his gift to me. Not only did he take my suggestion, he made an extremely generous donation, something which I will never forget. He took the time to get to know me and that in itself was a priceless gift. Even though we don’t work together anymore, we stay in touch and he’ll always be one of my favorites.