A Message from Your Anderson Team – Anderson Connect

We hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the warm summer.
In this month’s Anderson Connect, we will be sharing the following. We hope you enjoy!

• • • A message from your Anderson team
    • 2 short stories
    • 1 video story – brought to you by Anderson

A Message from Your Anderson Team

We are saddened and devastated by the discovery of the mass graves of children on the sites of several former residential schools. We realize that people are deeply affected in their hearts and minds, which can undermine any healthy community and relationships both at home and at school.

As we try to process these discoveries, we understand the impact they have on us all. As such, we would like to extend support to you during this most difficult time.

Please remember, through KeepMeSafe, Anderson College does offer immediate and confidential services 24/7/365. Please feel free to call 1 (844) 451-9700, download the My SSP app, or visit www.keepmesafe.org. You will also see the download link at the bottom of this message in the “resources” section.

Your health, safety and peace of mind are always of utmost importance to us. You are not alone.

Short Stories

The House with the Golden Windows

Once a little girl lived in a very small, very simple, very poor house on a hill. She would play in the garden and as she grew, she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill. This house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magical it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows, instead of an ordinary house like hers.

Although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there.

When she got to an age where she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother if she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally allowed her to go, insisting that she keep close to the house and not wander too far. The day was beautiful, and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house high on the hill.

As she dismounted her bike and leaned it against the gate post, she focused on the path that led to the house and then on the house itself… she was quickly disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that stood derelict.

She was so sad she didn’t go any further and turned back, heartbroken as she remounted her bike. As she glanced up, she saw a sight to amaze her. There across the way, on her side of the valley, was a little house and its windows glistened golden, as the sun shone on her little home.

She suddenly realized that she had been living in her own golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the ‘golden house’. Everything she dreamed of, she already possessed.

Moral of the story: We often see things based on our perspective (from where and when we are standing). We may envy others for things we already possess, but can’t see for ourselves, until we change our perspective.

Source: koolearn.com

Find Happiness

Once a group of 50 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each attendee one balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

A little while later, these participants were let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written on it, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.
At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. Then each person was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then said, “This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people.”

Moral of the story: Offer happiness to others and, in turn, you will experience happiness for yourself. And this is of course one of the purposes of human life… the pursuit of happiness.

Source: medium.com

A Story Video – brought to you by Anderson

We have received a lot of positive feedback regarding our short stories. Knowing that sometimes you would probably rather be watching than reading, we produced a series of story videos, and we are happy to share the first. Keep an eye out for these on our social media sites too, as we’ll be posting soon!

We hope you enjoyed this month’s Anderson Connect. Take care of yourself, and each other, and we look forward to connecting again soon!