The Power of "Thank You"

by Jill Gray Savarese

It turns out, living in a convent was one of my best decisions as a young actress. When I was 19 and living in NYC, rents were high but there was an affordable residence in a small neighborhood called Chelsea that was run by nuns. They all only spoke Spanish and I only knew English, but I moved in anyway. We would figure it out. During my time there, I learned so much from these kind women, but I stumbled upon the power of “thank you” because of a miscommunication.

This Order only allowed young, single women who were students to live there and there were RULES. Oh, there were most definitely rules. Rules like no men allowed other than in the sitting room downstairs where the nuns would keep them company as they waited. We also had a curfew of 11pm. I was an actress studying and making friends so the curfew made it difficult to go to all the NYC parties. We were allowed to go out but the doors would lock at 11pm and I would need to stay out all night until they reopened at dawn. Still, it was a safe and warm place to live. The nuns kept it clean and they took care of us in ways I didn’t expect.

Once, when I was doing a Shakespeare scene where I played a Novice and needed a costume, one nun whose name I don’t know made one for me. I gave her a white sheet and she stayed up the entire night sewing an authentic Novice costume for me and lent me a precious “Order of the Sacred Heart” pin to add authenticity to my costume. I wasn’t even Catholic. I can’t tell you how moved I was when at the slanted light of dawn she sleepily gave me this work of art and said something to me in Spanish that I didn’t understand. I did understand the kindness in her eyes, though, and I’ll never forget her.

At the time I was a student of acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts where I was taught to follow up auditions with a thank-you note. There was no email at the time; I made hand-written thank-you cards and sent them in the postal mail to thank people for the opportunity to audition. There was one audition that I felt great about as the producer gave me a lot of positive feedback at the audition and I thought I might have booked the job. So I sent my thank-you note and went about my life.

Every day, I kept checking the little pink notes where messages were written by the nuns when we had phone calls but I never got a call from that audition. As a last ditch effort, I decided to call the production company and follow up. The woman on the phone was so happy to hear from me that it surprised me. She said that she had been leaving messages with a woman whom she couldn’t understand and that they really wanted to hire me but because they were running out of time they were about to give the job to someone else. The only reason that they waited for me was because of the thank-you note I had written. She said I sounded eager to work with them so she waited as long as she could.

I was thrilled to get the job and grateful it all worked out. It was the leading role in a professional summer stock and touring company. I ended up working with them on 3 different contracts and meeting people who changed the course of my life. All because of the follow-up and the power of that “thank you.” I don’t know the names of the nuns who shaped my young life or where they are now, but let this be my “thank you” to them, too. For the profound positive impact they had on me at such a tender age and for the boundless love and care they offered me. THANK YOU.