“Hey, sweetie! How you doing?”
If you spend much time in the Union library, you’ve probably heard those words from Ms. Angela Womack, the library’s primary housekeeping staff, at least once. To me, Womack’s presence feels essential to the library. Without her there, it just wouldn’t be the same! Known as “Miss Angela” around campus, she’s been working at Union for nearly 21 years, and it doesn’t feel far-fetched to say that she is one of the most beloved people at Union.
No matter how the day is going, if you see Womack you can be sure that she’ll smile and say hello (and stop to chat if she’s able to). It’s hard to overstate what a vibrant and joyful presence she is in the library. (Quite the feat, considering that the words “vibrant” and “library” aren’t often mentioned in the same sentence.)
Now feels like a good time to mention something that Womack and I (sort of) have in common. Throughout high school, I had a part-time job as a cleaner. I worked for my city’s government, cleaning the municipal airport’s small terminal that pilots passed through on their way in and out of the city. After that experience, no matter where I go, I tend to take notice of people on the cleaning staff.
Because housekeeping is a job that requires such steady discipline (and making peace with your work going largely unnoticed), I always wonder how the people doing it–especially those who do the work for years on end–are able to remain positive and kind through the wear and tear of the job.
I still remember the first time I ever met Womack. I was a freshman getting my bearings and figuring out college life, and one day I went to the library to study with a sophomore friend. As we stepped out of the elevator, Womack happened to pass by, and she lit up.
“Hey, sweetie!” she exclaimed, beaming as she walked over to give my friend a hug and say hello.
My friend proceeded to update Womack on how her summer had gone, and they chatted for several minutes, caught up, and said goodbye with another hug. As we walked off, I was struck by how warm the interaction had felt and how genuinely kind Womack had seemed. As small as the interaction might seem, I still remember it almost four years later, and it brightened my day.
These days, I work at the library’s circulation desk. Since I started that job, I’ve gotten countless opportunities to see Womack in conversation with students, staff and faculty alike, taking time out of her day to make others feel loved. I headed to the library recently, hoping to find her and chat about her approach to work. After wandering for a bit, I found her on the third floor, cleaning the bathrooms. She gave me a hug and we sat down at a nearby study table.
We talked about how she came to work at Union, jobs she’s worked in the past and what it was like to see the library being built. I asked Womack what she enjoys about her job, and she answered without hesitation.
“It’s the students,” Womack said. “Students encourage me, because they’re so nice, always smiling. One of the things that encourages me most is [students’] life with God.”
I also wanted to know if it’s ever hard for her to stay positive on the job, thinking back to late nights in high school when I would begrudgingly go down my cleaning checklist, muttering to myself about all the messes that had been left behind.
“Sometimes,” Womack said. “But you know, what helps me, once again, is the students! They’ll come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for all you do!’” Womack went on to tell me a story of a student who once offered to help her take the trash out towards the end of a shift, smiling as she thought back to the conversation.
More than once as we talked, Womack apologized for “sounding like a broken record” mentioning students over and over. But she truly loves Union students, and her relationships with them keep her motivated each day.
“To me, it goes back to [students]. It’s encouraging,” Womack went on. “I feel like one of the reasons–other than God–why I’m still here is because of y’all. When I think about leaving, I think about how much I’d miss y’all! I love you. It would be too hard to leave you!”
When I think back on my own cleaning job, a couple of things stand out in my mind: the tedium of the work and the invisibility of my role. I had mixed feelings about the job; on the one hand, it was a great, flexible way for a high schooler to make some money. On the other hand, I sometimes couldn’t help but feel bitter about how unappreciated and unseen I felt as I did the work. Clearly, something was missing for me that Womack has a hefty supply of. She pointed to the power of prayer and God’s grace as the things that keep her joyful throughout the day at work.
“Let’s say I don’t feel like being [at work] today, and I just really don’t want to do this,” Womack said. “I’ll ask, ‘Lord, will you give me grace?’ And it’s not even 20 minutes before I receive His grace and think, ‘This isn’t that bad!’ If we get His grace, He can take us through anything.”
After our conversation, I left the library not thinking about cleaning, but about Christ and His unconditional love. Just as much as any other college campus, Union needs grace-filled, Christlike people who are committed to living out the love of Jesus. Having seen countless instances of Womack brightening a student’s day or encouraging someone who’s going through a family loss or struggling through their semester, I’m grateful for her presence in the library and the way she brightens campus.
“One of the things that I asked the Lord for is love,” Womack said. “I said, ‘I want the same love that you have’… You never know what a person is going through. They may be smiling on the outside, but on the inside they’re hurting. God’s Spirit has impressed on me to love upon people. Since God does that and we’re followers of God, I want to do that too.”
