One of the greatest joys in the world is being a grandparent. Besides sharing art with our four grandkids, I encourage them to learn greetings and the cultures of many other countries. Max and Sophia each have “Passport to the World” (Your A – Z Guided Language Tour) by Craig Froman.  ‘Passport’ features  a bit of culture, a map and basic greetings from Armenian to Zulu. I started them on little personal note books with headings for 70 top languages of the world. They fill in basic greetings for hello, goodbye, thank you and peace, draw and color a map and add details. It is a daunting task, so I said I would pay them $1.00 per country.

 Here is a delightful response from Sophia (age eleven):

Nona,

I have finished Armenian and Bangladesh. You don’t have to pay me because I’m doing it for the fun of it.

This is a line design I made last year when I was ten years old.  

Love,

Sophia

Sophia’s Design

Sophia will be surprised to see her art on line.  She would probably love your comments also.

 Keeping an optimistic attitude daily can be challenging.  Long ago I read in a positive thinking book that if one looks for a special moment or surprise in each day, the entire day takes on an expectant attitude of wonder.

Well today’s beautiful moment was so special that I will be thinking about it all week.  While enjoying  breakfast at Dennys, I noticed an adorable little girl clearing tables. She carried away the glasses and silver confidently like she had been doing it for years. Once the table was cleared, she carefully wiped the table and bent down , scooted around and wiped off each chair.  (How often do we see that extra measure?)

Now there is a child with a bright future, I thought to myself… and I should let her know. I wrote some positive comments to her on one of my art post cards…  * Vestige*    http://bobbimastrangelo.com/postcards.php

I added money and put it in a green envelope. Before giving it to her, I asked permission from her grandmother and explained why I thought her granddaughter was so special.  The grandmother was charming as well. She smiled and said  Zanaha wanted to be a waitress just like her.  She confided that Zanya was very smart in school , but she did not receive much attention because her class mates needed so much help.

I told my neighbor about this Precious Encounter, hoping my note  would encourage Zanahya to reach high aspirations.  Joyce said the five dollar bill would definately catch her attention.  What do you think dear readers?  Will the words have any influence for the little girl or her family?

Do you have a Random Act of Kindness to share?