To Receive Graciously

RECENTLY, while I was recuperating from an illness in the hospital, a friend who lived nearby was thoughtful enough to bring me his Big Book. (Mine was several miles away at home.) As I lay reading, a statement leaped out at me from the printed page: "Long before I had any real opportunity to give, I had to learn the equally important lesson of receiving graciously" [1]. I read on, but found myself repeatedly stopping, turning back to the page, and reading it again. During the next few days I would often pick up the book and look to see if the words were still there. They were.