Gracious to Strangers

I’ve experienced what it is like to be a stranger. More than once in my life I was the new kid in the classroom, the new teacher in a school, or the new student in someone’s yoga class. 

Nobody who I was and being unknown made me feel awkward, uncertain and vulnerable. Which is why when someone reached out and offered me a friendly smile, a kind word, or even asked me my name, I felt a little more at ease and a little more welcomed.

My parents raised me to be courteous, kind and generous to strangers because their parents raised them to be courteous, kind and generous to strangers too. 

 For example, during the depression, when men rode the rails looking for work, my dad’s mother was known to offer hobos a free meal. They’d knock on her back door, she’d make them a sack lunch, they’d tip their hat to her and then be on their way. She saw it as the right thing to do for a stranger.

My parents often brought strangers into our home to share a meal with our family; foreign exchange students as well as a lonely elderly person. 

Once, when my mother came to visit me, she went out for a walk and brought a stranger back to my house for lunch. To her, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

My way of being gracious to strangers is a little different from my grandparents and parents, yet, being personable to a stranger is the right thing for me to do.

Presently, as an exercise instructor, I have lots of opportunities to extend a hand of friendship to strangers who come to my classes. Most of these strangers have relocated to Idaho from another part of the country and they long to make connections with the people in the community.  

Though I don’t bring them home for lunch, I do ask them their name and listen to their story of how they came to Idaho. 

It’s really not all that hard to be gracious to a stranger. All we have to do is remember how it felt when we were strangers too.

Why Bother?

Why bother being gracious to strangers? No one is exempt from wanting to be welcomed and known by someone. Offering kindness to a stranger, in a small way, can go a long way.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.