Take a quiet moment to yourself. Think about some invitations you have extended. A formal invitation to a meal you have prepared? A suggestion that a new colleague join a conversation you are having with others whom they do not know?

Now think about invitations you have not extended. Are there times when you might have included a new person and not done so? Are there times when you felt the scarcity of time or goods, and not included others who might have appreciated your invitation? If invitation does not always come easily to you, imagine how new this territory may be for the five- and six-year-olds you will lead today. In this session's story, a grandmother recalls how she learned the value of invitation and how she could share that gift with others, no matter how little she thought she had to share. Maybe you, too, have learned this lesson through experience. Honor your own experiences as you invite the children today to learn with you.