Gift #11: The Gift of a Good Guest
As Christmas Day approaches so does the possibility that you will be a guest in someone’s home, either for the meal or perhaps even a few days. The very best gift you can take is the gift of being a good guest, the type of guest who is welcome again and again. I am sure books are written about how to be a good guest but I have only three suggestions;
1) Bring your manners; table manners, speech manners and attitude manners,
2) Be a contributor; be mindful of the resources, time, money and energy your host is expending,
3) Say Thank-you.
As well as being a guest around the Christmas dinner table we are all guests at a much larger table. We are guests of the Earth. We are the recipients of its resources and beauty and have been asked to be good stewards of the creation This is something which needs urgent attention as on the whole we are not doing a very good job of our stewardship. We all need to walk lightly, take no more than we need and be mindful to give back. The damage we do to nature we do to ourselves.
Even small changes if made consistently by enough people can make a difference. As good guests we will conserve energy, reduce pollution and eliminate waste.
If we can be a good guest of the Earth, I am confident we can be a good guest in an other’s home. Merry Christmas. Walk lightly.
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Way leads onto Way 