Recently I had an opportunity to be away for a while. Upon my return, I was surprised to receive the following letter from my dry cleaner.

On Being Missed

Dear Dr. Goodloe,

Your business is appreciated at Puritan Cleaners, and we wanted you to know you are missed.

Perhaps you have been enjoying a relaxing vacation or have been away on business. Hopefully everything is okay with you, and we will get to see you soon.

If, however, there has been anything that we have done to disappoint you, would you please let us know? Our goal is to exceed your expectations and to not let you down. We will do everything we can to correct the matter, learn from it, and provide the quality service you deserve. . . .

We appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you soon.

P.S. If you have been away due to the loss of a job, please contact me. I would love to help you look your best in your interview with some complimentary cleaning.

Thank you.

Puritan Cleaners

Richmond, Virginia

Isn't that remarkable? Yes, of course, it is good for their business, especially in the long run, but it is still remarkable.

I found myself wondering whether we do so well at church about letting people know that we have missed them. Well, let me restate that: I found myself wishing that we would do so well at church!

Wouldn't it be good, when someone is absent from the worship and work of the church for two or three weeks, to let him or her know then that he or she is missed, instead of waiting two or three years? Couldn't we invite him or her back sooner instead of later, and make every effort to resolve any problem?

It is good to know that we are missed. Even by the dry cleaner!

Grace and Peace,

Dr. James C. Goodloe IV,
Executive Director