Recrafted with permission of the author, Francis Dorff, O. Praem, of the Norbertine Community of Alberquerque, New Mexico, from his story, "The Rabbi's Gift," which is copyrighted by The New Catholic World magazine. Mr....

This is the story of Azim Khamisa. His decision to forgive deeds many would consider unforgiveable has inspired and transformed people all over the world. Azim, an international investment banker, lived in San Diego, with his two children, a son, Tariq, and a daughter, Tasreen. One night in 1995,...

We gratefully acknowledge Dawn Publications for permission to use the text of the children's picture book The Tree in the Ancient Forest by Carol Reed-Jones. This is the ancient forest. This is the three-hundred-year-old tree That grows in the ancient forest....

One of the reasons Muhammad was able to get people to listen to him was because, from a young age, he had proven himself to be wise and just. Here is an example of a problem he was asked to solve. Mecca found the walls of the holy building, the Ka’ba, needed repairing. So they fixed the walls.

In the land of Australia, where koalas climb high in eucalyptus trees and kangaroos bound across grassy plains on great big feet, a baby bird pecked his way out of his shell. His mother called him Kejaro, and she brought him good fruit to eat. Every day, for dessert, she brought him bugs. His...

Adapted from Hebrew scripture. Once long ago, in the city of Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, there lived a man named Elimelech. Elimelech was married to Naomi and they had two sons, Kilion and Mahlon. The time came when a great famine struck Bethlehem and none of the farmers could produce enough...

Based on information provided by Rev. Mike Young, The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu. Sometimes, the moment you meet someone, you know they will be a very important friend in your life. Other times, friendships start slowly. You might not know how important the friendship is for many years....

Adapted from a Haitian tale.To whom does the water belong? There was once a drought in the country. The streams dried up and the wells went dry. God saw there was no place for the animals to drink. God provided a well with the condition that it must be taken care of so all may use it. God said,...

Adapted from "One Flower in a Field" by Joshua Searle-White, in Magic Wanda's Travel Emporium: Tales of Love, Hate and Things in Between (Boston: Skinner House, 2007). Once upon a time there was a field. It had dry grass, brambles and thistles, and high places and low places, and rocks scattered...

The Tenderloin district of San Francisco can be intimidating because of its high concentration of homeless people, poverty, prostitution, and drug and alcohol abuse. Tourists are cautioned to avoid the area. But where some people saw danger, two women from different faiths saw an opportunity for...

The quotes in this story come from the website Oasis of Peace. Imagine a village that is home to 55 families with a waiting list of more than 300 families hoping to become part of the community....

This story is abridged from one published by Hans Christian Anderson in 1844 and translated by H.P. Paull in 1872. (Hans Christian Anderson: Fairy Tales and Stories).It was lovely summer weather in the country. A duck was on her nest, watching for her young brood to hatch. At length one shell...

A retelling of a Sioux legend. This story was given to the native people many winters ago. When it was time for all of the young mothers in the village to go out to gather fruit and berries, the old grandmothers, whose legs could no longer walk quickly, were left to care for the young children of...

"I don't want to go," said six-year-old Ruben, with his hands placed firmly on his hips. "Don't want to go where?" Ruben's dad, Nic, asked as he rolled back on his heels from where he was kneeling in the rose bed. "To the family playground picnic," Ruben said....

Adapted from an Aesop's fable. Once upon a time, an old woman lived on a beautiful farm in the country. From her window, she could see pasture land, fields of grain, barns filled with animals, orchards and forests beyond. The farm was special to the old woman because it had been in her family for...

Read or tell the story. Once upon a time a girl named Maya was playing in her front yard with her big sister and some of her sister's friends, while her father watched from the kitchen window. Soon Maya's friend Annie came along and wanted to join in the game. Maya's big sister and her friends...

The story, "The Bremen Town Musicians," was told by the brothers Grimm in Germany, in the early 1800s. This session comes from Gail Forsyth-Vail's book, Stories In Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association,...

A story from China. Sophia Lyon Fahs, From Long Ago and Many Lands. Read or tell the story. Long, long ago in the land of China there lived a very old grandfather, named Chang Kung, who had a very large family. First, there were Chang Kung's own sons....

A contemporary story by Elisa Davy Pearmain, based on the Jewish tradition of the Passover Seder. Before telling the story, set out a goblet for Elijah and invite a child to go and open the meeting room's door. These actions are customary during a Passover Seder. Once upon a time a there lived a...