The Art of Being Gracious
Most people think that being gracious or grateful is simply saying “please” or “thank you” when someone does something for you. After giving the topic a lot of thought I realized that there is an art to being gracious.
I came to this realization after a conversation with a dear friend of mine. She has several health challenges and she is in constant pain. She is a dear heart, but when we last spoke all she did was complain. She ended her rant by saying, “But, I’m glad that God has given me another day on the earth.” I thought to myself, really?! You don’t sound like you’re glad. I’m not convinced!
There’s an art to being gracious. I find that using sandwich method of delivering bad news would be appropriate in this case.
Tell the person what you’re grateful for; complain; and finish by telling them in spite of the problems that you’re thankful and move on.
My Life in Pieces 