A Story of Kindness
A photo from my most recent storytime at The Story Collective in St. Joseph, Missouri.
I meant to send this out the week of Christmas, but I decided to unplug and give myself a break over the holiday season before hitting the ground running, so to speak, once the kids went back to school. Well, here we are, the first week back after what seemed like such a short break, and I’m missing all the fun we had together. However, it is nice to be back in somewhat of a routine. With that being said, I would like to highlight something that happened at my last storytime of the year at The Story Collective, the week before Christmas.
My Writing Corner:
For those of you who have been a part of my weekly newsletter for a while, you might remember the sweet girl who dressed up like Ella Bella for Dr. Seuss week at her school. You were supposed to dress up like your favorite book character. Needless to say the picture her mom sent to me of her all dressed up had me in a puddle of happy tears. Here is where I need to remind everyone how sincerely thankful I am to hear from anyone and everyone who has enjoyed any of my books—a special thank you to everyone who sent me pictures of their little ones opening the new Ella Bella book for Christmas! I digress. Needless to say, this little girl, whom I have deemed “Ella Bella’s Biggest Fan,” was in attendance, and I was utterly delighted to see her again. We said our hello’s at the beginning of the event, and then I read The Adventures of Ella Bella and the Magic Holiday Headband.
At the end of the book, there is an activity outlining how to create homeless care packages for those in need, and the book's central message is about the importance of spreading kindness. I had advertised that anyone who brought canned goods to the event to donate would receive a free set of positive affirmation cards. When the event was about over, Ella Bella’s Biggest Fan’s mom pulled me aside and wanted to share a story with me. She said they had no idea the story was going to be about kindness, but they had a full-circle moment they had to tell me. When they arrived at the storytime, another family had come to the event, but didn’t know about the food donation. This sweet mother-daughter duo kindly shared some of their canned goods with the family, and, in return, when they were about to purchase the new Ella Bella book, the family they had given the food to purchased their copy for them.
If this isn’t a pure example of how beautiful spreading kindness can be, I don’t know what is. I hope we can all remember to share our kindness with everyone, no matter if it is Christmas or a random Tuesday in the middle of the summer. Take a page from these two wonderful families’ book and share an act of generosity with someone today. It can be as simple as sharing a smile or opening the door for someone. You can be the start of a kindness ripple effect, and one by one, we can shine more light and goodness in a world that desperately needs that right now.
The Craft Corner:
Family Game Night
Instead of a craft…Let’s be honest, sometimes setting up a craft or helping the kiddos with one, especially the first week back from break, feels like a lot. So, instead, I’m sharing the game we played for the entire break.
I’ve got a winner for you to try! We love games—board games and card games. We try to gift a couple of games every Christmas and/or birthday. This year, we gave the kids Sleeping Queens. It has been a huge hit. Both kids loved it and it is a huge crowd pleaser. Everyone from the kids to my grandma enjoyed playing it together. Let me know if you try it.
Did you try any new games over break? Let me know in the comments or feel free to email me.
The Reading Corner:
What We Are Reading
Tuck’s Bookshelf: Tucker was gifted this book (pictured below) and it has been so much fun to read together. It’s a mystery puzzle book—each puzzle or mystery is just one page, and don’t worry, the answers to the mysteries are listed in the back of the book—Slylock Fox Mystery Puzzles by Bob Weber, JR. and Bob Weber Sr.
Ella Bella’s Bookshelf: Ella has been loving the Butterfly Meadow series by Olivia Moss. They are short chapter books about a butterfly named Dazzle. They are quick reads without any “mean girl” attitudes.
My Bookshelf: I just started Ten Prayers That Changed the World by Jean Pierre Isbouts
What are you reading?
I hope you all have an excellent rest of your week and weekend. Until next time, happy reading.
