Session 5

Thursday in Manadoob we finished up the last of chapter 5 and continued on to chapter 6.  The take home option I had given them for writing a short story about a gift of kindness has been postponed until next week. (Some Club members had completed but forgotten it, and with the reminder others seemed interested.)  I also gave members the assignment of writing the letter to a grandparent or similar person in an effort to save time since we always seem to be lacking in that. We will be discussing both in our next session.

We started with a check in about the Think & Do of being kind and happy for an entire day. L1 thoughtfully shared that she had gone to volunteer at the Humane Society over the weekend and made a conscious effort to have a happy mood. She said that that’s how she would want someone to act if she were in a cage all day and also commented on her dog that is blind that she has taught 14 tricks. S1 talked of how she had cheered up a friend and realized that by doing that it made her feel happier too. H1 asked someone at school who looked sad to play with him.

After we read chapter six and I asked the group to get out their workbooks again I heard unanimous moans and groans which made me smile because this means they are hooked! We have reached that point in the program where they have become invested and interested and I am very excited about this. The discussion we had about chapter six was emotional and a little tough at times, but I am thoroughly impressed with how the group supported one another. I decided since our group is developing well to pull myself back a bit during the discussion. I let them know that I was there to listen and I wanted them to talk about the first questions in chapter six as a group (knowing now that most of the time they want to share about each thing). Right away L1 spoke up and asked who wanted to go first. Several group members spoke of a loss and openly talked about who or what and how they felt. Most of the group was very focused, however one group member, M, struggled a bit in a way I was not expecting. She withdrew and engaged a member sitting next to her in giggling and talking about unrelated topics. H2 is kind of like the group task monitor and quickly leaned over to me and was concerned about this, instead of correcting them myself I encouraged her to wait her turn and share her feelings. As our conversation continued L1 told us of the loss of her bunny who she says she felt was like a person to her. L2 shared how a friend moved away and it made him sad, H1 talked about his fish that died and told the group he felt like L1. L1 told the group that she feels like her bunny is with her not physically but metaphorically because her mom made her a bunny stuffed animal and it helps her feel better. L2 supported her by saying “I like that.”  Other group members talked of friends or loved ones, favorite things or simply passed if they didn’t feel like sharing.

Toward the end of our discussion we talked about the power we have to control our reactions and what we think about things. The group seemed to like the idea of being able to decide how they want to feel about something and the power this gives them. The energy seemed a bit low at the end of group so I told everyone they were required to take a moment to smile, even if it was fake, which had the outcome I had hoped for since all of us looked around and laughed.

One of the best moments happened after class when L1 approached me and thanked me for the opportunity to talk about these things and that she really appreciated it. I am really enjoying seeing her come out of her shell.