At the direction of the Middle States Reaccreditation Committee and the recommendation of the University’s Mission Committee, DeSales University has adopted five core Salesian values: gentleness, humility, gratitude, hospitality, and wisdom.
Hospitality might at first sound like an odd choice for a value in the age of Covid-19. We are self-quarantining and socially distancing, how can we possibly be hospitable now?
When I was a young child, I loved the book But No Elephants by Jerry Smath. Throughout the story Grandma Tildy gets visited by a pet salesman. She agrees to house all kinds of pets—from canaries to turtles to rare birds. However, each time she declares, “But no elephants.”
Even as a child, Grandma Tildy’s last refrain always bothered me. I had questions. Why no elephants? Was it the sheer size of an elephant that made it problematic as a pet? Was Grandma Tildy allergic to elephants? Did she object to keeping wild animals as house pets? Was it the pachyderm’s smell? The book never explains her rationale, but predictably in the end Grandma Tildy ends up with the elephant in her house.
You may be able to guess where the story goes from here. With a healthy dose of fantasy and a child-like optimism, the narrator lets us know that despite Grandma Tildy’s trepidations, everything works out in the end. In fact, it more than works out, the elephant’s presence in the house becomes a blessing. The elephant can reach things that are too high and use its strength to help with chores. And when a blizzard comes and all looks lost, the elephant saves the day by simply walking with the house on its back to a warmer climate.
This tale delighted me as child. Now as an adult facing challenging times, I find myself coming back to its message of hospitality. When we say no and close our doors on others, we are also closing off the possibilities that they bring with them. We may not know when or how their special contributions will be needed, but if we close the door, we may never get the chance to find out.
Today, I believe that hospitality is something we as humanity need more than ever. By opening ourselves to the contributions of others, whether physically or virtually, we embrace the possible, and in doing so we are allowing ourselves to see the good in each other. True hospitality is welcoming all, even the elephants.
Katrin L. Blamey, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education,
Chair of the Education Department
Director of Graduate Programs in Education
This reflection originally appeared in DeSales Weekly, the e-newsletter of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
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