January 11, 2025

Quote of the Week

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

The Top 10 Insights From The "Science Of A Meaningful Life" In 2024

"After a year that feels like it has pushed many of us apart, our selection of the top scientific insights of 2024 are nearly all about how we come together and how we’re interconnected—across time, distance, and difference.

Some insights speak to the ways we can connect with people with disagree with, and how this process isn’t as painful as we imagine. Others look at the effects parents have on children, teachers have on students, and plant and animal life have on all of us. One insight is simply about an easy way you can reconnect with someone, today." [read more]

Reading Corner

Title: I Wish You Happiness
By: Michael Wong
Ages: Baby - 6 years

"I Wish You Happiness" is a book full of beautiful illustrations. There is one sentence per page, each beginning with, "I wish you" followed by two words in different colors. The book and words remind me of greeting card expressions. Where I can see this book being most useful is for a replacement for greeting cards for things such as baby showers or birthdays. I could even see this book as being a nice keepsake for parents to give to their children for things such as Kindergarten graduation.
There is not a story to this book, so it might not make a good read aloud for young children. The word choices in the book are way beyond the comprehension of young children. For example, aspirations, tranquility, and resilience would be very difficult to explain to young children and they probably would not sit still long enough to understand the meanings of the words. It would be a nice tool for teachers in classrooms for some vocabulary words. There are also famous people listed in the back of the book to show children different characters that were represented in the book. There is also a section on the different dogs pictured throughout the book. So in this way, there is an educational aspect to the book that would be beneficial to teachers as well as homeschoolers.
I would recommend this book as a replacement for greeting cards for baby showers, birthdays or for Kindergarten graduation. Teachers and homeschoolers in early elementary grades may find the book useful as well." - Amazon Reviewers

Be the Change

To add more fun to the mix and inspired by the article, try this 6 mins-ish Happiness Break Meditation. In this guided meditation, Dacher Keltner helps us cultivate awe by focusing on new beginnings. Whether it’s a budding plant, a new friendship, or a recent moment of wonder.