The Adventures of Captain
Jack—Explorator™
January 2019—Episode 13
Word of the month—Kindness
A compassionate act: an act that shows consideration and caring.
Quote of the Month
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind
can see.”
―Mark Twain
Recap
from Episode 12--“It always helps to have a plan.”: Captain Jack really didn’t know where to
start. But one thing he did remember was that one day before the storm, he
noticed a flag flying on a pole. The flag had a white background with a crimson
cross of St. Andrew that crossed the flag diagonally from corner to corner. The
puppy heard someone say one time that the official state gemstone was a Star
Blue Quartz, but he didn’t know what that was. His former owner used to go
hunting for wild turkey and said that the Eastern Wild Turkey was a sought-after
prize to hunt. Since Captain Jack didn’t like guns, he never went hunting with
her. The puppy never understood what this fact meant, but he learned before the
storm that the official state mascot and
butterfly was the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. It made the
puppy feel good that some of these memories were coming back. Maybe his
memories would help him find where he came from. He didn’t remember the weather
ever getting cold where he lived before the storm, but then he was a very young
pup.
Note: Remember
that Captain Jack has dedicated himself to finding his mother and siblings if
possible. Do you know which state he and
his friends will visit first? If not,
please read the clues above carefully again as Captain Jack, Allen, and
Penelope begin the search for his family. If you completed the Humane Education Follow-up Activities with
Episode 11—November 2018, you’ve already figured out which state they’ll visit
first in their quest for his family.
Episode 13—January 2019
Captain
Jack could hear his mother’s voice whispering in his ear. He didn’t doubt that
her words were true.
“Don’t
be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.”
And
more of her wise words: “When the world shouts, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try
it one more time.’ ”
It
was as if his mother were right next to him. The past year of Captain Jack’s
life had been such a whirlwind of change, adventures, and new opportunities. MawMaw
had always told him the world would give him exactly what he expected. She said,
“What goes around comes around.” And she always told him that showing kindness was one of the most-important
things never to forget.
During
the past year, Captain Jack had learned that his mother’s words were true. He
had met Penelope, Allen, Stephanie, Robert, Hero, Sarah, Amber, and Howie. He
had dedicated his life to being kind
to everyone every day, and—in turn—kindness
had always come back to him.
However,
Captain Jack was about to embark on a path where kindness was not always the rule.
Oh my, I wonder if my MawMaw were here at some time, Captain Jack thought to himself. He stood in front of a
large cement-block building with graffiti all over it. The terrible smell
coming from the building was something he had never encountered. It burned his
nose and made him feel sick to his stomach. But it was not only that.
The
screams he heard were like nothing he had ever heard before. They made him want
to run away as fast as he could and to run toward them to help the screamer,
all at the same time. The puppy was confused and conflicted. Should he go in and look for his MawMaw?
Should he turn away and run as far away
from this scary place as possible? He didn’t know what to do. He decided to
run and get as far away as possible. He ran as fast as his little legs could
carry him until he came to a park with big trees, swings, people flying kites,
children playing, slides, and children riding bikes. The happy scene reminded
him of Penelope and Allen and how very kind
they had been to him from the start. He thought the children in the park
would treat him with kindness too,
but he was in for quite a shock.
Why did the children run away from him and scream?
Captain
Jack called to them, “Bark-bark. Stop. Wait. Come play with me. Can you help me
find my MawMaw? Bark-bark. Whine-whine. Cry.”
He
ran after the children, thinking they would want to play with him and help him.
Finally Captain Jack sat down. He was bewildered. The children had all
scattered and had run away, screaming at the tops of their lungs and looking
for their parents or for a safe place to hide. At first he thought they were
playing hide-and-seek, but they weren’t smiling or laughing. They didn’t look
or act like they wanted to play with him. Captain Jack was totally perplexed. He
didn’t know what to think.
It
was getting dark. The poor puppy sat down under a bench and decided to rest a
bit. Then a big white pickup truck came circling around the park. It had a
kennel in the back and big letters with pictures of animals on its sides. The
letters read “ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL.” A large burly man wearing a hat got out
of the truck and started walking toward Captain Jack.
The
puppy thought to himself Should I run
away or stay safely under the bench? Maybe
the man won’t see me. He doesn’t look like a very kind person.
Look
for what happens next in the 14th exciting blog episode about
Captain Jack—Explorator™ in February 2019.
Humane Education Point:
Kindness can be shown in the simplest of
ways. Stopping to take time to help a friend in need. Smiling. Sharing an item with a friend or
sibling. Helping an elderly person with his or her groceries or other bags. Volunteering
at a local animal shelter, a domestic-violence shelter, a food bank, or any
other organization that helps people in need. All these opportunities are ways to
show kindness.
Humane Education Follow-up
Activity:
What’s the name of the custodian in your building? Each
and every day, we walk past nameless faces. Some of us never even show these
people a smile or greet them. There are people in our lives who bring with them
a wealth of support and knowledge. These people are waiting for a simple act of
kindness.
On a piece of paper, list several people whom you encounter almost every day. Next
to each name, write one way you can be kind
to each of these people.
In the “Humane Education Point” section above, several
ways to show kindness have been
listed. Can you think of any other ways to show kindness? Talk with someone about these ways to show kindness.
For two weeks, keep a journal. Each day record in your
journal something kind you did for
someone, said to someone, or witnessed someone do for someone or say to
someone.
Here are some websites about kindness you may want to check out with the help of an adult:
--https://www.stopbullying.gov/sites/default/files/2018-08/KindnessWorks.pdf
--http://www.thinkkindness.org/11-fun-kindness-ideas/
--https://acts.kindness.org/initiatives
--https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-quotes
--http://www.theworldkindnessmovement.org/
--https://www.kindspring.org/
--https://everydaypowerblog.com/kindness-quotes/
--https://www.rootsofaction.com/art-kindness-teaching-children-care/
A true story for your reading
pleasure: “During my second year of nursing school,
our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the
last one: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?’ Surely
this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I
know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before
the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our
grade. ‘Absolutely,’ the professor said. ‘In your careers, you will meet
many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if
all you do is smile and say hello.’ I’ve
never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her first name was Dorothy.” --Joann C. Jones
Story Discussion Tips:
1)
Did anyone show Captain Jack kindness in this month’s episode? If
not, why not?
2)
How do you think Captain Jack
felt when the children in the park ran away screaming? Why? What did Captain
Jack want to do with the children?
3)
What could the children have
done differently?
4)
If you had been one of those
playing children, what would you have done? Why?
5)
Do you have someone who has
shown you kindness? What did that
person say or do to show you kindness?
How did that make you feel?
©2017
Heddie Wittlin-Leger
Our Nonprofit of the Month
Russell Rescue, Inc.
(RRI) is a network of volunteers dedicated to placing unwanted or abandoned
Jack Russells into permanent homes. RRI arranges for emergency rescues
throughout the country, and gathers information designed to match appropriate
permanent and temporary homes. It is funded by donations and
supported by Jack Russell Terrier lovers and volunteers throughout the world.
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