Musician Carlos Santana once remarked, “You become gracious when you realize that you have something the world needs, and people are happy to see you when you come into the room.”
Love it.
Graciousness tops my list of daily goals. I was brought up to believe that it’s a skill you cultivate (practice makes perfect). And since it means so much to me, I want to encourage my grandgirls to “grow” their own. But where to start?
Flash!
(Lightbulb moment.) It all made sense the other night when Stella came into my kitchen and asked, “Can I help make dinner, Nan?”
I smiled and set up a stool for her to stand on, delighted that she was there beside me ripping up salad greens that were scattering into the bowl as well as across the counter and onto the floor…
That’s when I got it. Growing graciousness is as simple as the songman’s saying. It’s not about teaching my grandkids; it’s about letting ’em do the stuff they love to do: tossing salad, picking berries, creating craft projects, doing dishes and making marvelous messes along the way – all in the name of learning that even the littlest helpers have something the world needs.
