Caring

November's character education word of the month is caring. Caring can mean a lot of different things to different people. The most common definition is: To be interested and concerned about others, and to treat them with understanding and compassion.

Read the story below and write a comment about what caring means to you.

The Acorn Planter

In the 1930s, while a young traveler was exploring the
French Alps, he came upon a vast stretch of barren land. It
was desolate. It was forbidding. It was ugly. It was the
kind of place you hurry away from.

Suddenly, the young traveler stopped in his tracks. In the
middle of this wasteland was a bent-over old man. On his
back was a sack of acorns. In his hand was a four-foot
length of iron pipe. The man was using the iron pipe to
punch holes in the ground. Then, from the sack he would
take an acorn and put it in the hole.

The traveler stopped the old man to ask him what he was
doing. "I've planted over 100,000 acorns here, but perhaps
only a tenth of them will grow," he said. The old man's
wife and son had died, and this was how he chose to
spend his final years. "I want to do something useful with
my life," he told the traveler.

Twenty-five years later, the now-not-as-young traveler
returned to the same desolate area. What he saw amazed
him. He could not believe his own eyes. The land was
covered with a beautiful forest two miles wide and five
miles long. Birds were singing, animals were playing, and
wild flowers perfumed the air. The traveler stood there
recalling the desolation that once was; a beautiful oak
forest stood there now - all because someone cared.

Adapted from The Sower’s Seeds

Caring is…Giving thanks when it is deserved. Helping to solve a problem, rather than
just ignoring it. Being aware of others’ achievements and celebrating their success. Please leave a comment by November 6th.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Garrett