Letters to Read on a Bad Day

My first job out of college I worked in Washington DC for gifted entrepreneur and fellow Wheaton College graduate, Dale Hanson Bourke, at her communications consulting firm, Publishing Directions, Inc. She taught me so many lessons about running a business, client relationship development, and navigating change—and shared a brilliant method for proofreading and catching mistakes on a page, which I use to this day.

One morning in the office, in a file drawer (remember those??), I spotted a folder labeled, “Letters to Read on a Bad Day.” She created it after receiving a kind letter from a client and decided to save it—for future reflection. A few years ago, she shared that decades later, she still has the file and refers to it from time to time.

I don’t recall when I started keeping one of my own, but over the years I’ve tucked in notes, letters, emails, cards, and texts sent from friends, colleagues, and clients. During seasons of discouragement or disappointment (we all have them) or when the deal didn’t go as planned, I’ve pulled open the drawer and cracked open the folder.

What greets me is a shower of encouragement, appreciation, and thankfulness—for the work I’ve done or perhaps the way I’ve done it. The kind wishes were intended for me, but I find myself welling up with immense gratitude that I invested in these relationships, organizations, and causes. My gifts and talents made some kind of positive difference. My contribution was worthwhile and might even have a lasting impact. In the re-reading, my “bad day” quickly brightens. My perspective shifts. My outlook gets a lift.

In this season when the stock market is dicey, work roles are changing, and political climates in the U.S. and abroad invite calamity—how do you respond when a bad day comes your way?