Holiday Celebrations & Inspiring Stories – Anderson Connect

As we are close to bidding 2021 adieu, we would like to thank our entire Anderson community – our students, staff, and employees for demonstrating such resilience and strength. With all the ups and downs we faced together, let’s take a moment to celebrate what we have achieved this year and embrace 2022 with open arms and hope for what can unfold in the new year.

In this month’s Anderson Connect, we will be sharing the following. Hope you enjoy!

• Holiday Celebration Ideas
• Two Short Stories
• Two Video Stories – Presented by Anderson

Holiday Celebrations

The pandemic may have changed how we embrace the holiday season, but we can still find innovative ways to celebrate at home and across the miles with loved ones. Here are a few fun ideas to get you in the spirit and keep the spirit of the season alive:

Mail Cookies to Loved Ones
No matter where your loved ones are, you can spread holiday cheer by mailing them cookies. After all, everyone loves receiving surprise packages – especially when they’re filled with homemade treats (and these ship well too!).

Have an Outdoor Cocoa Party
If the weather is mild enough, why not have a small outdoor gathering with family and friends? Set up socially-distanced chairs in the backyard—and maybe a fire pit, too! — and let everyone indulge in some delicious hot chocolate.

Have a Virtual Ugly Sweater Party
Don’t let those ugly sweaters go to waste! There are plenty of ways to host a virtual party over video chat, and everyone will be able to show off their most questionable holiday attire.

Give Back to Your Community
It always feels good to give back during the holiday season, so why not make it a family/friend activity? Check out what your local food bank needs for donations and put together a box of supplies for families in need.

For more interesting ideas to brighten up your holiday season safely, click here.

Short Stories

True Value
A popular speaker started off a seminar by holding up a $20 bill. A crowd of 200 had gathered to hear him speak. He asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”

200 hands went up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He crumpled the bill up.
He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

All 200 hands were still raised.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” Then he dropped the bill on the ground and stomped on it with his shoes.

He picked it up and showed it to the crowd. The bill was all crumpled and dirty.

“Now who still wants it?”

All the hands still went up.

“My friends, I have just showed you a very important lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. No matter what has happened or what will happen to you in your life, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget that!”

Moral: Many times, in our lives, life crumples us and grinds us into the dirt. We make bad decisions or deal with circumstances poorly. We sometimes feel worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never, could never, ever lose your value!

Source: https://www.4recruitmentservices.com/blog/2017/08/15-motivational-and-inspiring-short-stories

A Young Man’s Priceless Holiday Gift
A Monk used to sit at the side of a riverbank. He would sit there the whole day, muttering and shouting in a loud voice from time to time, “You will get, whatever you want.”  People passing by would think of him as insane. They would listen to him and laugh at him.

One day an unemployed youth was passing by, and the voice of that Monk reached his ears, “You will get whatever you want.”

Hearing this sentence, the young man approached the Monk and asked him, “Will I be able to get whatever I want. Can you really give me what I want?”

The Monk replied, “Yes, but first tell me what you want?”

“It’s the holiday season and I have a huge wish to make. I want to become a big diamond dealer one day. Can you fulfill my wish and grant me this gift?”, said the young man.

“Of course, how about I give you a diamond and a pearl. Make as many diamonds and pearls as you want then”, said the Monk.

After listening to the Monk, a light of hope shone in the eyes of the young man. Then the Monk asked him to extent both his palms. The young man put his palms in front. The Monk placed his hand on one of his palms and said, “Son, this is the most precious diamond in this world. This is called ‘TIME’. Hold it tightly in your fist. With this you can make as many diamonds as you want. Don’t ever let it out of your hands.” Then the Monk placed his other hand on other palm of that young man and said, “Son, this is the most precious pearl in the world. This is called ‘PATIENCE’. When the desired result is not achieved even after spending time in any work, then wear this pearl called patience. If you have this pearl with you, you can achieve whatever you want in this world.”

The young man carefully listened to the Monk and thanked him and left. He got two priceless gifts to help him achieve success. At that moment he decided that he would never waste his time and would always work with patience. After some time, he started working with a big diamond merchant. In a few years, he diligently learned every trick of the business and one day, realizing his dream with his hard work and perseverance, he himself became a big diamond trader.

Moral: Never let your time go to waste and don’t give up on patience in difficult times. Success will, eventually, definitely come.

Source inspiration: https://moralstories26.com/sadhu-and-young-man-story-mantra-of-success/

Video Stories

Please enjoy these two inspiring video stories brought to you by Anderson this month.

The Wise Teacher and The Jar

The Secret of Happiness