ECHOES OF KIND WORDS
A little boy said to his father, "Let's play darts. I'll throw the
darts and you say, `Wonderful!'"
Here is a boy who was not afraid to ask for the encouragement he
needs. Maybe we all have something to learn from him!
Inspirational author and educator, Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, relates a
story about the devastating effects of discouragement. Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, the famous 19th Century poet and artist, was once
approached by an elderly man who asked him to look at a few of his
sketches and drawings. The gentleman wanted to know if the artist
thought they were of any value.
As gently as possible, Rossetti told the man that the sketches were
of no value and showed little talent. He apologized for the harsh
assessment but said that he believed he should be honest.
The visitor was disappointed but asked the artist if he could take a
look at just a few more, which were all done by a young art student.
Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately
became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. "These," he
said, "oh, these are good." He went on to say that the young student
shows much promise and should be given every help and encouragement,
as he may have a great future if he will study and work hard.
The old man was deeply moved. Rossetti asked, "Who is this fine,
young artist? Your son?"
"No," replied the visitor sadly. "It is I - forty years ago. If only
I had heard your praise then. For you see, I became discouraged and
gave up too soon."
Mother Teresa wisely said, "Kind words can be short and easy to
speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Sometimes it may be
enough to just say, "Wonderful!"
