I entered the banquet room and there - singing to herself -- was a kind-looking woman, dressed in a black and white uniform. I introduced myself as the speaker for tomorrow's conference and she introduced herself as Mary. A fitting name I thought, as you could tell she was a loving soul. She set up the tables as I set out my materials. We chatted like we had known each other for years. She is one of those people who makes you feel special and you can't help but like her.

Mary called herself the "Jacqueline of all trades" at the hotel and told me she had worked at the hotel "since dinosaurs roamed the earth".  She was in charge of the banquet area and she also cleaned the hotel rooms for the guests. She shared with me how much she loved her job and she told me part of her job was to bring joy to all guests.

I noticed on the menu for the next day there would be a desert with gooseberries on the side. I remarked to Mary how my husband Darren had grown up on a Saskatchewan farm with gooseberry bushes and how much he and our children loved them. I thanked her for our visit and went to join my family.

You can tell the attitude of the hotel staff by how they clean your room. I have stayed in many hotels and some of the staff put our children's special blankets and toys on the floor! Not Mary, she did something special.

She folded Jayda and John's blankets into swan shapes on the beds.

She arranged all of John's superhero action figures in a fighting position on the dresser.

She linked the arms of Jayda's stuffed animal frogs together in a big circle on the bed.  She then carefully tucked a gooseberry in each one of their folded arms.

As we looked around that room in amazement, I stood there thinking that this special woman in that dusty Prairie hotel might actually have the meaning of life figured out. She is happy and definitely brought joy to us.