For December's Family Program we met virtually and celebrated generosity and gratitude. We first shared observations of the natural world, including animal tracks in the snow, the varying warm and cold temperatures, and the shorter daylight hours.
We then read and acted out a chapter titled "The Letter" from Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel. In the story Toad is feeling sad because it is the time of day when the mail arrives, but Toad never receives any mail. Frog gets inspired to go home and send Toad a letter, in which he thanks Frog for being his best friend. Frog then gives the letter to Snail, who takes a very long time to bring the letter to Toad's mailbox. In the meantime Toad can't wait to tell Frog that the letter is coming, and so the two friends sit together on the porch waiting for the letter and feeling grateful for their friendship.
After the story we discussed various ways to practice generosity and gratitude, including just breathing, in which we generously share carbon dioxide with the trees, who then generously share oxygen with us in a beautiful, ongoing cycle. After a brief generosity and gratitude meditation we listened to the ringing of the temple bell and shared a group "OM."
