by Denise Tamai Gabriel
In this story, we learn that the thread of friendship connects us all. It reminds us of our responsibility to care for our friends, to be mindful of how we treat others and their feelings, to speak with kindness, and to be patient with our differences.
(Use a string when telling/retelling the story)
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Luna. She had a beautiful smile and loved to play and run around in the yard.
Since she was born, Luna had been deeply loved by her mom, dad, and grandparents. She already knew that there was an invisible string connecting her little heart to the hearts of everyone who cared for her with love, even though she couldn’t see it.
This thread was made of magical things: morning hugs, kisses on boo-boos, bedtime stories, and even giggles hidden during bath time. One day, Luna went to her first gospel class. There, she met a boy named Daniel.
Daniel was a quiet kid. He liked to look at the sky and listen to the birds. At first, he stood in the corner of the room, feeling a little shy.
Luna saw him and thought:
“Does he want to play?”
She strolled over to him and said, with a smile:
“Hi, my name is Luna. Do you want to play with me?”
Daniel looked up and replied softly:
“Yes, I do.”
And, at that moment, a new thread was born. A beautiful, shiny thread made of friendship!
* (Here, the Spiritist Educator ties the characters together with a string)
Luna and Daniel began to do everything together in the Gospel Class: painting, listening to stories about Jesus, and over time, they discovered that they frequented other places in common. So they began to spend even more time together.
So every time they shared pencils or waited for each other’s turn, the thread shone even brighter! And every time one helped the other, the thread grew a little longer.
One day, while playing in the playground, Luna tripped and fell to the ground, scraping her knee. Her eyes filled with tears, and she was very sad.
Daniel ran to her and held her hand.
“I’m here, Luna. Everything will be okay.”
He called the teacher and stayed by her side until she got a Band-Aid on her knee.
* (At this point, you can lift the string and say, “The thread of the heart has grown stronger! Daniel showed that he takes care of those he loves!”)
But the following week, Luna wanted to play house, and Daniel wanted to play with toy cars.
“Come play house with me,” said Luna.
“No! Today I want to play with cars,” replied Daniel.
“Then go play by yourself!” replied Luna angrily.
“I’m not alone. I have my cars!” replied Daniel, a little upset.
Luna and Daniel walked away, each playing alone on their side.
At that moment, the string got all tangled up.
* (At this point, the Spiritist Educator shows the messy/tangled string.)
The two didn’t speak to each other for the rest of the day.
But deep down, they missed each other, and their hearts were sad.
The next day, Luna came up to Daniel and said:
“Hi, I think what happened yesterday and the way I spoke to you wasn’t cool. I’m sorry!”
“I thought so too,” replied Daniel. “I also think the way I spoke to you wasn’t nice. I’m sorry! I was very sad.”
“Me too,” said Lulu. “Sometimes what we do and say can hurt someone, even the people we love. I was responsible for hurting your feelings because I wanted you to play house with me.”
“Next time, we can play a little bit of what you want and then a little bit of what I want,” said Daniel.
“Good idea!” replied Luna, smiling. “And if I don’t want to, I can tell you kindly.”
They hugged each other, apologized once again, and laughed together.
And the string? Ah! It was beautiful again.
And, over time, Luna and Daniel came to understand that this string of friendship is not just for playing.
It is also:
- To help when the other falls
- To listen when the other is sad
- To wait, share, and forgive
- To remember: “You are important to me, and I will take care of you.”
They learned that when we have love in our hearts, we also have a responsibility to care for how we treat others and their feelings, to be kind with our words, and to be patient with differences.
Now, Luna and Daniel have many threads connecting their hearts with their families, with more classmates, with teachers, and with Jesus!
And every day, they try to make these threads more beautiful, stronger, and brighter.
What about you? Who is your heart connected to right now?
