Article June 14, 1969 Issue

Gracious Living

V. WINIFRED MORRIS

After visiting one of England's stately homes I overheard these words: "It takes a lot of money to live graciously." How I longed to tell the speaker that living graciously is not, as is so often assumed, dependent on wealth. Graciousness, like honesty, is a quality derived from God.

One dictionary definition of "graciousness" is "pleasing or attractive quality or condition, charm, winning grace, esp. of manner." Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health: "Comeliness and grace are independent of matter. Being possesses its qualities before they are perceived humanly."^{Science and Health, p. 247;} Divine Being or God is then the source of all Christly qualities, and Christian Science teaches us that man is the reflection or emanation of God. As we recognize this truth of man's spiritual status, we find that these qualities are available for expression in every human circumstance.

On hearing the stranger's words I was reminded of an incident that occurred when I was driving through an Eastern desert. We had stopped to photograph some Arabs and their camels, and had been invited to visit their camp. It was somewhat uninviting to our eyes, having none of the refinements we associate with gracious living. But there was something about their reception of us that brought us a glow of happiness. Sitting on the sand floor, drinking a native liquid from thick mugs, we felt like royalty. Nowhere could we have received more courtesy, consideration, and concern for our welfare. Though possessing few of this world's goods, our host and hostess expressed an abundance of graciousness, and in this they were rich.

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