Tena koutou katoa. Nga mihi nui atawhai.

‘Could you hold this frond for me while I trim it, Xavier?’

‘Of course I can’.

‘Do you think you could help me with my gumboots, Xave?’

‘Of course I can’.

Lesson #4 from Grandson: how we can respond positively to a need.

That little phrase, ‘of course I can’ has become one that has stuck in our household now. The standard response to a request for anything is now ‘of course I can’, said very emphatically and with enthusiasm. And this phrase definitely changes how we respond to others when they need assistance.

With our focus on the Core Mercy value of manaakitanga, care, this phrase ‘of course I can’ can be used to show our positive and affirmative response and also show how we can put our words into action. You can’t utter this phrase without then doing something.

When we see others struggling or always sitting alone and vulnerable, and our internal voice asks us whether we should or could intervene, we can respond with ‘Of course I can’ and then do something that responds to that need and shows care.

‘Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers and sisters, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit’. Pope Francis