Hello my sweet listener.
Welcome to story time with Nana Jojo.
I'm so happy you're here.
I'm Nana Jojo,
And I have a wonderful new story to share with you today.
But first,
Let's get cozy.
Grab your favorite stuffie!
Wrap up in your softest blanket.
And snuggle in nice and tight.
Now let's take some slow,
Deep breaths together.
When we breathe slowly,
Our bodies feel calm and relaxed.
So take a big breath in through your nose.
And breathe out with a happy sigh like this.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Let's do it again.
Big breath in.
And breathe out.
Hmmmm.
One more time.
Big breath in.
And breathe out.
Ah.
Super duper job.
Do you feel nice and relaxed?
Yay,
I do too!
Okay,
My sweet little one,
It's time for our story.
This is another story about Luna,
The little star.
The kind and caring star who loves to help children from way up in the night sky.
In today's story,
Luna discovers something very special.
Something that helps when big feelings feel too big to hold all by yourself.
Are you ready?
Okay,
Let's begin.
Once upon a time,
High up in the night sky,
There lived a little star named Luna.
Luna was small,
The smallest star in all the sky,
But she shined with a soft golden light that made her easy to find on even the darkest nights.
Every night,
Luna shined her soft,
Gentle light through bedroom windows,
Helping children feel safe and warm as they drifted off to sleep.
Luna loved her job.
One evening,
Luna was shining high up in the night sky and she noticed something different.
She noticed that a little girl named Mia was in plain outside like she usually did.
Mia wasn't collecting rocks or climbing trees or laughing with her friends.
Instead,
Mia was sitting very still on the front steps of her house with her chin in her hands and a worried look on her face.
Luna's light flickered.
And she watched as Mia's mom came outside and sat down beside her.
What's wrong,
Sweetheart?
Mia's mom asked.
It's the first day of school tomorrow,
Mama,
And I can't stop thinking about all the things that might go wrong,
Mia said quietly.
What if nobody wants to play with me or sit with me at lunch?
Mia's mom wrapped her arm around her.
Those sound like some pretty big worries,
Mia's mama said gently.
They are,
Said Mia,
And they feel so big.
Mia's mom said.
I understand.
Everyone feels worried sometimes,
Mia.
We don't always know how things will turn out.
And that can feel scary and yucky.
But you can feel scared and yucky and still be okay.
Remember how you felt before your first day of preschool?
Mia remembered and nodded yes.
She had loved preschool and always had so much fun playing with her friends.
Up in the sky,
Luna understood exactly what Mia meant.
Sometimes Luna had worries too.
Worries that felt too big to hold all by herself.
So Luna decided to go visit her friend,
Grandfather Orion.
Grandfather Orion was a very old and very wise star.
He had watched over the earth for a long,
Long time.
Grandfather Orion.
Luna said.
My friend Mia is feeling worried and I don't know how to help her.
Do you know what to do when worries feel too big?
Grandfather Orion glowed softly,
And he smiled his starry smile.
Ah,
Yes,
He said.
Worries can feel very big indeed,
But I know something that might help.
Come with me.
And together,
Luna and Grandfather Orion drifted across the night sky.
Down,
Down,
Down,
Until they were floating just above Mia's backyard.
Look,
Whispered Grandfather Orion,
Pointing with a beam of starlight toward the garden.
There,
Near the edge of the flower bed,
Was a small,
Smooth stone.
It was gray with tiny silver specks that sparkled in the moonlight.
That.
Said Grandfather Orion,
Is a very special stone.
It's been here for a very long time,
And it knows how to hold things.
Hold things?
Luna asked.
Like worries?
Exactly like worries,
Said Grandfather Orion.
Would you like to give it a try?
Luna nodded.
She gathered up a little bit of starlight in her glow and let it drift down,
Down,
Down until it touched the smooth gray stone.
The stone began to shimmer with a soft,
Gentle light.
The next morning,
Mia woke up still feeling worried.
The big feelings were still sitting heavy in her tummy,
Just like they had been the night before.
She got dressed slowly.
She ate her breakfast,
But she didn't even taste it.
And when it was time to go outside and wait for the school bus,
Her feet felt heavy and slow.
Like she didn't want to walk at all.
But then,
Something caught Mia's eye.
There,
Right by the flower bed,
Was a smooth gray stone with tiny silver specks that sparkled in the morning sun.
Mia bent down and picked it up.
It was cool and smooth,
And it fit perfectly in the palm of her hand.
Mia rubbed her thumb across the smooth part.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
And then something strange happened.
The worries that had been sitting so heavy in her tummy felt just a little bit lighter.
Not gone.
But lighter.
Like someone or something was helping her hold them.
That afternoon,
When Mia came home from school,
She ran straight to her mom.
Mama,
Mama,
She cried.
Look what I found.
Mia held up the smooth gray stone and it sparkled in the light.
Oh,
It's beautiful,
Her mama said.
Where did you find it?
I found it in the garden this morning,
Mia said.
And mama,
Something amazing happened.
When I started feeling worried today,
I put my hand in my pocket and I rubbed my thumb across it just like this.
Mia showed her mama,
Moving her thumb back and forth.
Back and forth.
And it helped.
She said softly.
It didn't make the worries go away completely,
But it made them feel smaller,
Like they weren't too big for me to hold anymore.
Mia's mom smiled.
That sounds like a very special stone.
I think it is,
" said Mia.
I'm going to call it my soothing stone.
And whenever I feel worried,
I'm going to hold it and remember that I'm not alone with my big feelings.
That night,
Luna watched from the sky as Mia got ready for bed.
Mia put her soothing stone on her nightstand right where she could reach it if she needed it.
And just before she fell asleep.
Mia looked out her window and she saw Luna's soft golden glow shining down on her.
Thank you,
Luna,
" Mia whispered.
I don't know if you had anything to do with my soothing stone.
But it feels like magic.
And I feel better.
Luna's light glowed.
Just a little warmer.
And up in the sky.
Grandfather Orion Smiles.
You see,
Luna,
He said,
Sometimes when worries feel too big.
We just need something small to hold on to.
Something we can put in our pocket to help us remember we're strong.
And that we're not alone.
But what if someone doesn't have a soothing stone?
Luna asked.
Ah,
Said Grandfather Orion,
Then they can find one.
They could find a smooth stone from the garden,
A small pebble from the park.
Or even a shell from the beach.
Anything small that fits in their hand.
The magic isn't in the stone.
It's in the remembering that we're not alone.
Luna thought about this for a while.
And then she had an idea.
From that day on.
Whenever Luna saw a child sitting with worries that felt too big,
She would shine her light on a small stone nearby.
Just to help them notice it.
And children all over the world began to find soothing stones.
Some found smooth gray stones.
Some found small brown pebbles.
Some found bits of sea glass.
Or acorns.
Or even smooth pieces of wood.
And when the worries came.
Because worries do come for all of us sometimes.
The children would hold their stones.
They'd rub their thumbs across the smooth part.
And they would remember,
I'm not alone.
I'm strong enough.
And this feeling won't last forever.
And Luna would shine down from the sky,
Wrapping each child in her soft golden light,
As if to say,
I see you.
I'm here.
You're not alone.
You're doing just fine.
The End And so my sweet listener.
What did we learn from our story today?
We learned that everyone feels worried sometimes.
And we learned that not knowing how things will turn out can feel scary and yucky.
And that's okay.
We also learned that sometimes when big feelings feel too big,
Having something small to hold on to can help us remember that we'll be okay.
Maybe you could find a soothing stone too.
It could be a smooth stone from outside.
Like a small pebble.
Or anything that fits just right in your hand.
And then when you feel worried,
You can hold it.
You can rub your thumb across it and you can remember you are not alone.
You are strong.
And the people who love you are right here close by with you.
Remember,
Everyone feels a little worried sometimes,
And that's okay.
Most of all,
Always remember that Nana Jojo loves you so,
So much.
I'll be right here whenever you're ready for another story.
If you're not quite ready for sleep.
Have yourself the most wonderful rest of your day.
And if it is time to go to sleep now.
I'm wishing you the sweetest and happiest dreams.
Sleep tight,
My little love.
I'll see you again soon.
Good night.
