Today’s Excerpt:

The Parable of the Acorn

One day, an acorn emerged from a tall branch of a strong, tall mother oak tree. The acorn loved being close to the mother oak and the other acorns all around. It could see the leaves, the sky, and the birds that came to rest in the oak. Time passed, and the acorn grew bigger and heavier.

“Soon, the time will be right and you will fall from the branch to the ground below,” said the mother oak.

The acorn was nervous and afraid of something new and unknown. “But I’m happy here, just as I am.”

“All will be well, you will see,” soothed the mother oak.

Not long after, the acorn became so big and heavy, it came loose from the branch and fell to the ground. The acorn felt afraid and didn’t recognize the new place it was in. But soon, the acorn became curiouser and curiouser. The world was so different and interesting on the ground. There were bugs and plants in the soil, and the acorn could still see the old oak trees nearby. This new place wasn’t so bad after all.

Time passed, and the acorn noticed some cracks in its shell. “Oh no, something must be wrong with my shell!” The acorn worried and fretted, but then remembered the words of the mother oak, “All will be well, you will see.”

Not long after, roots began to emerge from the crack in the shell and dug into the soil of the earth, slowly but deeply. Then a shoot emerged from another crack and began to reach toward the sunlight. The acorn was now a seedling and learned to enjoy this new way of being — growing down and reaching up.

Time passed, and the seedling started to transform into a sapling. Its roots were strong and deep, green leaves started growing, and it had a small but solid trunk keeping it stable. Sometimes it was hard to be a sapling. The sapling had to get enough sunlight and water to keep growing, but it always remembered the words of the mother oak, “All will be well, you will see.”

Over time the sapling continued to grow and change, but it wasn’t always easy. There were massive storms and times of drought, but through it all the sapling remembered the words of mother oak. One day, the sapling realized it was as tall and strong as the old oaks all around. It was no longer a sapling, but an oak tree. The oak tree heard the voice of mother oak nearby, reassuring a new acorn, “All will be well, you will see.”

Discuss:

• When have you felt scared or nervous about something new, like going to a new grade or trying a new activity?