Story Time with Ms. Cheryl

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The children listened to Ms. Cheryl (Ms. Share-All 😊) tell a heartwarming story about our differences and our similarities using a story about 2 little shrubs and a wise oak tree. Digging deeper into this story reveals how we must first love ourselves (just the way we are) before we can give our best to others. Each shrub thought the other was better and wanted to be more like the other!

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How often do we compare ourselves with people that we wished we were more like?  Realizing one another’s similarities and celebrating our differences is what makes the garden of life so colorful.

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This story embraces the connection between all life and how we work together as one. Ground breaking research is showing how trees in the forest communicate with one another through a network of fungi that can spread hundreds of miles and often even further. These networks help trees in many ways, some of which include, sharing minerals and water. Young trees shaded out by the older trees need help. Mother trees share their sugars produced by photosynthesis! We now know that healthy forests are those with rich diverse species of trees all working together!

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Here are 2 books that explore these and many other exciting discoveries about how trees are connected and how they support one another.

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The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben  

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A recent series on Public Broadcast chronicled 6 diverse cultures across the United States and into Canada. While they all had unique challenges they all had many commonalities demonstrating the connection and unity we share despite culture, the environment, politics, immigration and social media.

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https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/feb/15/connected-search-unity/

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There is no limit to the loving kindness we can shower on one another and Mother Earth. Our hearts expand and grow as we build bridges to one another as caregivers for our green planet.