“…where everybody knows your name…”

When I go to the dentist I do not expect them to remember my name or who I am – after all, I am only there twice a year for less than an hour.

However, today I struggle to find words to express how my visit to the dentist made me feel.

The visit started as usual and the hygienist was making casual conversation with me. She then said, “I don’t want to make you cry, but how is your daughter doing?”

I stared at her blankly for a brief moment, trying to figure out how she could possibly know about Tori and how she could have made the connection that I am her mother.

Before I could say anything she added, “One of the ladies in the office saw the article about your family in the paper and made sure that we all saw it.”

I told her that Tori is doing fairly well and that I was amazed that she remembered the article (it was two months ago).

I felt something I can’t quite describe at that moment. 

My dentist’s office (which is quite large and sees hundreds of people each year) remembered our names well enough to recognize them when they read them in an article two months ago. 

Brackbill is a common last name in Central Pennsylvania, so it wasn’t the uniqueness of the name that enabled easy recognition. They remembered us for who we are. And, they remembered me today and asked about Tori.

We have always had great experiences with this dental office, but today made me certain that this is where we should be going – they clearly care about their patients and take the time to know our names. And that seemingly little thing meant so much to me today.