Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of [humanity]. — Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet and (1913) Nobel Prize winner

Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we explored the power of one person to make a difference, both with their own service and by inspiring others to join them in working for a better world. We heard about Craig Keilburger, who at the age of 12 became an advocate for child laborers. He founded the organization Free the Children, which helps young people around the world organize on behalf of education for children. We played a game where one person tried to guess who was leading as the others all performed the same actions. The children made created fringed rugs in the style of rugs made by the child laborers Craig Keilburger chose to help.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. How do you make a difference in the world? Discuss with your family what things each of you choose to do to act in service to the larger world. In what ways are you leaders? Invite family members to share stories of times when other people have followed their lead in doing service.

A Family Adventure. Visit a local rug or carpet shop. Observe not only the patterns and colors, but also how the rugs are constructed. Look closely at the individual knots on handmade rugs. What would it be like to tie all those knots? Ask the proprietor of the store whether the Rugmark Foundation has certified that the rugs they sell were made without child labor. You can read a story about RUGMARK in the online archives of the Unitarian Universalist magazine for children, uu&me!

A Family Game. The children played a game in which one person left the room or hid their eyes while another person in the circle was chosen as leader. The others in the circle tried to follow the actions of the leader as closely as possible, while the designated guesser tried to determine who in the circle was the leader. If you have enough people at home, try this game. You can always invite friends to play, or simply play Follow the Leader without the added challenge of guessing. How often do children in your family feel like they are the leaders? After you play the game, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being a leader.