April 19, 2023

Notes by Saamya Deo

Review

Jodi and Shanti are best friends. One day, Shanti sees a doll and wants to buy it. She and Jodi decide to make flower garlands to sell at the market. While making garlands Jodi tells Shanti that her brother is sick. Jodi says that she is going to sell her garlands to make money for her brother’s medicine. Shanti goes to sell her garlands at the market and is on her way home when Jodi comes to the market.  Shanti gives Jodi her money so she can buy medicine. Shanti makes more garlands to sell but by the time she goes to the shop to buy the doll, it has already been sold. When she comes home, the doll she wanted was dropped off by Jodi for Shanti. She is delighted. 

True friendship is giving without any conditions

• Accept (Don’t judge)

• Challenge (Challenge them to be the best version of     themselves by being the best version of yourself)

• Trust (Don’t suspect)

Story

Once there was an elephant and a monkey. They both thought that they were better than each other. They would fight constantly. One day, Owl came and told them that he was bored of watching them fight and wanted a competition. Both were interested immediately. Owl told them that they had to go to another forest and get the golden fruit. Whoever brought it to Owl first wins. The other would have to accept defeat. They agreed. 

As soon as Owl said go, Monkey jumped through the trees. Elephant barreled through all the trees that came in the way. At last they reached a river. Elephant started wading through easily but Monkey got swept away. Instinctively, Elephant grabbed Monkey and saved his life. Monkey had accepted defeat but Elephant told him to climb on his back as he waded through the river. As they reached shore they started to look for the golden fruit. When they found it Elephant tried to lift up the whole tree because he couldn’t reach the fruit. It didn’t work. Monkey climbed up of elephant trunk and got the fruit. They head back to Owl, Monkey sitting on Elephant. Before Owl spoke they said that they are both the winners. 

Lesson 

We are all different and the same at the same time. 

Rainbows are made of white light. When raindrops precipitate, they act as a prism and the white light appears to be different colors. But it is still white light. 

Just like that we are all humans, creatures, animals. Some could have blond hair or black hair. Some could have 4 paws or 4 hooves. But we are all creatures. 

When we talk to ourselves we say that I am going to do something. My mom calls herself I. So does my sister. So does my dad. We all have that in common. Everyone calls themselves I. So that I is something that is common between everyone. That I is one.

RAW

Find at least one thing in common with everyone you meet. Write it down.

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Notes by Sita Somnath Buono

REVIEW:

Last week’s story was about Shanthi and Jyothi helping each other when they needed it. The moral was about true friendship and always giving the best of yourself without expecting anything in return. We learned about ACT.

A-  Accepting

C-   Challenging

T-   Trusting

STORY:

Once in a forest there was a monkey and an elephant. They were proud of their qualities and thought they were better than each other and would fight. One day an owl who had been watching them fight got fed up and set a mission to settle the argument. He sent them to get a golden fruit from a tree in a forest beyond the forest. Whoever got it first would be the winner.

The monkey and elephant both went into the forest and then came to a river. The monkey jumped in and got swept in the current and the elephant helped him by carrying him to the other side on his back. Then they went to the tree with the golden fruit, but it was too high for the elephant to reach. The monkey stood on the elephant’s trunk and was able to climb up the tree and get the fruit. They got back to the owl and told the owl that they were both winners because we couldn’t have got this fruit without working together.

MESSAGE:

Happiness is finding unity in diversity. Think about rainbows to see how we are both different and the same. All the rainbow colors come from just white light which is just all the colors combined but you can see them when water acts like a prism. The colors seem different but really, they are all one. We need to dig deeper when we see other people and remember that we are part of a much bigger team. We all say I when we talk about ourselves but that I is like the white light since it is for all people. Remember that when we meet other people because we all want to be loved and respected.

RAW:

Find one thing you have in common with everyone you meet this week and write it down.