Shahla was in the dining room with her best friend, Chihiro. Mother was teaching them how to make shell necklaces. Mother had just taken the shells out of the toaster oven.
Mona walked in as the girls started coloring the hot shells with crayons. She watched as the crayons melted onto the shells.
“Wow those are so pretty!” Mona exclaimed.
“Yeah, we are making shell necklaces!” said Shahla proudly.
“Who are you giving them to?” asked Mona.
Shahla and Chihiro both looked up in surprise. “We are making them for us!” Shahla said emphatically.
“Shahla!” Mona said. “Don’t you know that art is made for sharing! Right Mom!” as she looked at Mother expectantly.
Mother smiled and said, “Well think about it, does an artist paint pictures just for themselves, or to share with the world? How about a musician? Does he make music just for himself? Or does he play for everyone who will listen? Being a creator of something is an attribute we learn from God, the Creator. A creation is meant to be shared. It is a way we can serve mankind.”
Just then Asma and Riaz walked in. “And service to mankind is one of the main reasons we are in this world, right, Mom?” put in Asma.
“Yeah, service helps us grow! And that is another reason we are here, right, Mom?” added Riaz. “We learned that in Children’s Class!”
“What wise children I have!” said Mother proudly.
“Even little children, like Anisa, or even younger, know how important it is to serve,” continued Mother. “Tiny children want to ‘help’ Mother or Father do stuff… like baking, or cleaning, or working in the yard….They love to ‘help’. They like to feel close to their parent, and they are happy to learn how to do new things.” Mother thought a minute. “It is just like us, when we serve others, we become happy because we are making others happy, and feel closer to them, and we are learning better how to serve…. We are growing our soul!”
“Yeah, service is important! I know that,” said Mona. “I have had teachers who were so sweet that you could tell she was a teacher because she loved children! And then, I have had other teachers that seemed that it was just a job to them, and they couldn’t wait for the day to be over!”
“It is the same with doctors or nurses or even cooks or waiters, or any job,” put in Asma. “You can tell if they are doing it for the money or because they really want to help.”
“I help Mommy because I want to make her happy!!” said little Anisa from behind them. Everyone was surprised she was in the room and had understood the conversation.
“Bahá’u’lláh teaches us that service brings us the greatest joy,” said Mother; “and it brings us blessings from God. In fact, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that we should be like a lighted candle that gives light to a darkened room.”
“Wait a minute!” said Riaz, loudly. “Don’t you know what happens to a lighted candle?? IT MELTS!”
“Exactly!” said Mother laughing, and everyone else joined in. “We should give our whole life to the service of mankind and every person we meet. All the teachings and prayers of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talk about that.”
“The Báb, too,” put in Asma; “He says that anything we do, any work or service we give, shouldn’t be just for that person. If we like them or not shouldn’t matter….We should do it for the sake of God. I memorized that prayer by The Báb. He said we should say it before we do anything! It says, ‘I do this for God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the Lord of all that is seen and unseen, the Lord of Creation.’”
“Wow!” said Shahla. She had been working on her shell necklace as everyone was talking. “I just thought being a kid was to have fun and do what you were told to do. I guess there is a lot more to being a person than I thought!”
“Duh!” Riaz laughed as she said that. “Look at Mom and Dad: everything they do, they do to serve us! Mom’s cooking, Dad’s working! EVERYTHING!”
“Yeah, I guess they learned that while they were kids like us!” put in Shahla.
“So how can we be of service to mankind?” asked Mother.
“We can serve while we are still kids. by helping our friends or family, or even people we don’t know, who need help,” said Mona, who often helped others, even strangers.
“We can do service projects or volunteer work,” suggested Shahla, “like the puppet show we did at the Old Age Home.”
“And the Dance Workshop we did there last month!!” added Mona.
Asma added, “Ayyám-i-Há is a great time to concentrate on service and giving. That is the purpose of Ayyám-i-Há! Not just getting presents! Right, Mom?”
“When I grow up, I want to be a volunteer fireman!” said Riaz proudly.
“I want to be a volunteer policeman,” said Asma.
“I don’t think there is such a thing, Asma! But maybe you could be a real policeman,” said Mona, laughing.
“Well, whatever you do in life, whether it is as a volunteer or for your work, if you do it for the sake of service to humanity, it is considered by God to be worship! Just as if it were a prayer,” said Mother. “And it will bring you joy!”
“OK, OK, we get it!” said Shahla. “I will give my necklace to my teacher!”
“And I will give mine to my Mother,” added Chihiro. The girls both smiled at each other…as they realized… it did give them joy.
Mother showed them how to put the glitter glue on their shells, then glue on the little pearls and put on the little ring so that they could thread the elastic string through it to finish the necklaces. The rest of the children watched with interest. Then, they all decided that they wanted to make necklaces to give away, too!
And that is just what they did!
What can you do to serve mankind?
How about drawing of picture of how you can serve?
You could send it to us here at Hiru no Hoshi!
Quiz
- What were Shahla and her friend Chihiro making?
__________________________________________________________________________ - What did Mona ask them?
___________________________________________________________________________ - What did Mother explain is the purpose of Art or Music or creating anything?
__________________________________________________________________________ - When we serve or help people, how does it make us feel? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________ - What does Bahá’u’lláh say brings us the greatest joy?
___________________________________________________________________________ - What is the prayer The Báb said we should say before we do any service or work?
___________________________________________________________________________ - What kind of volunteer does Riaz want to be when he grows up?
____________________________________________________________________________ - What does Asma want to be?
____________________________________________________________________________ - Why are volunteering, or working, or helping, or art, or music just like praying?
___________________________________________________________________________ - At the end of the story, what did all the children decide to make?
____________________________________________________________________________
How did you do? Answers are on the Parent’s Page!
Shell Necklace
Materials:
*A shell for each necklace.
*Crayons (choose up to 3 colors per shell).
*Glitter glue.
*A small costume pearl for each necklace.
*A necklace ring (to glue on the top of the shell to run the cord through) for each necklace.
*Glue, to glue ring on shell.
*Thin Elastic cord to use as necklace chain.
* Pieces of aluminum foil or wax paper to heat the shells on, one per shell.
*A pan to put the shells on.
*A toaster oven to heat the shells.
*Hot pads to hold the pan.
Method:
Choose shell and crayons.
Put each shell on a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper on the pan.
Put the pan in the toaster oven.
Heat the shells for 1 or 2 minutes.
Take out the pan and quickly give each child their shell on the piece of aluminum foil or wax paper. BE CAREFUL, IT’S HOT!
Color the shells on the front and back.
If the shell cools before it is finished, put the shell back in the oven for another minute or two.
When satisfied with the shell, let it cool,
Put glitter glue on both sides of the finished shell.
Glue the pearl on the inside of the shell.
When dry, glue a ring on top of the shell.
When dry, put the black elastic string or black yarn through the ring, and tie.
SHELL NECKLACE!! (to give away)
Parents ‘Page
“Let your vision be world embracing rather than confined to your own self. ” ― Bahá’u’lláh
“The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds and through commendable and seemly conduct.” ― Bahá’u’lláh
“Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches.” ― Bahá’u’lláh
“All effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity.” ― Bahá’u’lláh
“Service to humanity is service to God. Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you shall be illumined by its reflection. Be as stars, brilliant and sparkling in the loftiness of their heavenly station.” ― ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“Turn all your thoughts to bringing joy to hearts.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“It is your duty to be exceedingly kind to every human being…until ye change the world of man into the world of God.” ― ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“In the Bahá’í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are (counted as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
“The more we make others happy the greater will be our own happiness.” Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith
Answers to the Quiz:
1) Shell necklaces. 2) Who were they giving them to? 3) Sharing with other people to make them happy. 4) Happy. Because we grow closer to them and it helps us grow. 5) Service. 6) ‘I do this for God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of all that is seen and unseen, the Lord of Creation. 7) Fireman. 8) Policeman. 9) Because it is service to mankind and that’s why we are here on earth…and it brings us closer to God. 10) Shell necklaces to give away.