Definition:

Patience means having self-control, waiting and enduring when one would rather not. 

In short:

Stay calm while you wait.

Summary:
Two villages across the river from one another suffer from a seemingly endless history of mutual hatred. One day, a girl named Sama is struck by a rock thrown by a boy on the other side of the river. Sama’s anger and desire for revenge ends when she sees her own dark brooding reflection in the river. When her people insist that she throw a stone at Karune, the boy who had wounded her, she refuses and persuades some of the villagers to join her in building a forgiveness flower garden along the river. Karune joins her after much thought, and they sit together in the garden and begin the process of healing. This story is fictional but the Garden of Forgiveness is a real place and exists in Beirut, Lebanon. There’s an author’s note at the end of the book that explains the historical background of this beautiful story. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Teachers can link this story to other subject areas, such as geography of the Middle East, and recent history of that area (simplified for 10 and 11 year olds)
2. Students discuss how lack of self-control leads to negative consequences, whereas the desire to communicate respectfully with the goal of mutual respect is beneficial. They discuss how the story conveys this theme and how the message applies to their own lives. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. What sparked the stone-throwing fight between the two villages? 
2. What happened to Sama during the fight and how did that make her feel? 
3. Sama had an experience by the river when she saw her reflection. What happened? 
4. Sama had a chance to get revenge against Karune. But she made a decision to not throw a stone at him. Instead she encouraged everyone to _________? (fill in the blank)  
5. “If we forgive, must we forget all that has happened?” How would you answer this question? 
6. “Must we apologize?” How would you answer this question? 
7. When both villages worked on this project together, it was a win-win outcome. Why? 
8. What brave action did Karune and Sama take at the end of the story and why was it difficult to do what they did? 
9. Have you ever had a grudge against someone? Describe what happened. 
10. The two villages had hated each other for many years. Do you think it’s a good thing to resolve conflict sooner rather than later? Why or why not?