ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠWinston Churchill is credited with saying, “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” This month's shared story for our focus on the value generosity, The Quilt Maker's Gift written by Jeff Brumbeau and illustrated by Gail de Marcken, suggests that meaningful and deep happiness can only come from doing for others, rather than by accumulating the stuff that comes our way. The book tells the story of a king whose greed is so insatiable that he not only decrees that everyone in the kingdom must give him a birthday present, but that he have two birthdays a year. Yet it is only when the king learns to give away things, in essence making his living by giving, that he begins to experience glimmers of happiness.
ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠOver the years a number of Country School parents have shared with me their concern about how difficult it is to instill perspective within their children when they are regularly surrounded by such plenty. Some have asked for suggestions on how to balance our natural desire to provide the best we can for our children while at the same time not being overly indulgent. I am convinced that somewhere in how we model our own behavior involving these issues, our children learn valuable lessons about generosity and how to lead satisfying and meaningful lives. I would like to ask you to share your own thoughts, tips, or experiences on these issues with me so that I can, in turn, share with you our parent body's collective wisdom. Please send me an email at nmufson@countryschool.org by Friday, January 26 if you have something to say, and I will anonymously share a sampling in a future newsletter.