Long Story Shortz - My Gratitude Jar - Written and Narrated by Kristin Wiens

my

gratitude

jar

written

and illustrated by me Kristen wans my teacher Miss Lane is always trying to make the world a better place in the fall our class visited a senior home and read our poems to them in the spring we planted flowers in the nearby park our school and once a week we go on garbage patrol, how disgusting. Miss Lane says it's important for everyone to do her part one day at school. Miss Lane gave everyone a jar, this is her

gratitude

jar, she said gratitude means being grateful, it's a good idea to take it.

Take time every day to remember to be grateful. You can be grateful for big things, like when you make a new friend. You can be grateful for small things, like when someone smiles at you. There is no right or wrong way to be grateful every day. Take a few minutes to stop and pay attention to what we are grateful for. At that time we will write it down and put it in our gratitude jar. Why are we making gratitude jars? I asked Miss Lane and she said there are two reasons. One reason is that when we take the time to be grateful we feel happier what is the other reason I asked you will have to wait and see she said we spent the afternoon decorating our jars I put blue polka dots on mine the next day We all wrote down something we were Grateful for I asked Miss Lane again what the other reason for our gratitude jars, she said wait and see in a few weeks our gratitude jars were full of things we were grateful for most of us. days.

I wrote something a few days. I wrote two. day I wrote down three things I was grateful for it was a very good day I asked Miss Lane again what is the second reason for our gratitude jars she said wait and see I am grateful I found a coin on the floor I am grateful I got an invitation to Benjamin's birthday party. I'm grateful that we can play soccer outside during lunch a few days later. I had a very bad day. When I got out of bed, I stepped right on top of the castle I had built the night before.

It hurt me and I destroyed the castle. I spilled my oatmeal all over the kitchen floor. I had to clean it myself. We ran out of my favorite bubblegum flavored toothpaste. I had to use the mint one, the mint one makes my mouth hurt, so my brother called me. shrimp I hate it when you call me shrimp when I got to school I was in a bad mood when I got my gratitude jar I had nothing to write now Miss Lane would be mad now my day would get worse I needed a complaint jar, not a gratitude jar there There is no nothing to be grateful for today I said to Miss Lane I'm not grateful for this morning I'm not grateful for school and I'm certainly not grateful for my brother It seems like you had a rough start to your day said Miss Lane some days are like that today is the day in which you will learn the second reason for your gratitude jar, although I was in a bad mood, I still wanted to know the second reason why Miss Lane said that today, instead of writing a new gratitude, you can open your jar and read it all. of the gratitudes you already wrote that's all that's the other reason that doesn't seem very important try it and see before you open your bottle you might want to take a few deep breaths when I'm having a bad day taking a few deep breaths always helps, it makes me feel a little calmer to see if it helps you too.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I think so. It helped me I felt a little calmer I opened my jar and took out the acknowledgments one by one I read them all then I began to understand the second reason I felt less in a bad mood I remembered that not all days were bad many days were good The last note in The Gratitude jar wasn't one I had

written

, it was Miss Lane's. I'm thankful for Jacob, he helps make the classroom a happier place, that made me smile.

I grabbed my pencil and started writing. I am grateful for my gratitude jar and Miss Lane at the end Northstar path.com order a copy of my gratitude jar at www.n norstar paths. and follow us on Twitter, subscribe to short

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