Love To Serve - Rishona Chopra

It is said that what we do comes back to us. Karma, as some of us would call it. A good act of kindness comes back to us. It may be true and correct, but it should not be our cause to do something good. We shouldn't give, help, care or be kind, just believing that we will do good so good will come to us.

The law of karma isn't something that can be fooled. It is just a power of the universe. It looks at the thought behind it and not just the action. 

When we give something, do we expect something in return? Well, I did, and I realised that when you give someone something - not an item but even an act of kindness and care, not many return the same to you, and we have to live with it. The only way to yet be happy is to first accept it and then know that your deed of kindness has helped somebody. 

When God blesses you financially, don't raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving. - Mark Batterson

It is true what Mark Batterson has said, we should give not only when we are rich in our everyday lives, we should raise our standard of giving, it may not be just giving money, even giving a toy to a person who needs it or a book is an act of giving too! 

A small act of giving could mean everything to a person. Giving not only makes the other person happy but also makes us happy. As said,' make others happy, and you will be satisfied the same way give and give, and you will feel better.

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Do we have this life entirely for ourselves? Are we given this life just so we can enjoy and live happily? Well, we are absolutely nothing alone. One cannot be anything alone at all. Mahatma Gandhi alone did not defeat the British. Mother Teresa alone did not help the people. No one has ever accomplished anything alone because it is simply not possible. As brave and fascinating as doing something alone sounds, it isn't. We are all connected; we are all one. We say Unity in Diversity, but do we mean it from our hearts?

We may differ in colour, race, background, education, age, and height, but we are still the same. We are just one soul. 

So why do we believe that all our actions must be for ourselves? Can't it be for others? Will that do us any harm? 
To check, let us just list out what could happen. 

DEED: LOSS
I gave a child my pencil: I had another one
I helped someone tie their laces: No loss
I donated money to charity: I earned some more
Meeting my sick friend: No loss
Gave food to a homeless: Spent little money
Helped someone study: No loss
Complimenting someone and appreciating them: No loss
Sat with someone and listened to them: No loss

These are a few examples of deeds of giving. I may have lost money, pencils and a few more little things, but all these deeds made me happier and were defiantly worth it. These deeds may have taken out some of my time, but they all make me happier. 

What we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others lives on forever. 

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII

Gyanshree School

Quality - Rishona Chopra

"If a judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid."
- Albert Einstein 

We all have a beautiful quality about us. Something that makes us happy and makes us feel alive. There may be 1 bad thing about us, but there are 10 good things about us too. We all have a quality that we can never get tired of. Writing makes me feel alive, and I believe it is my quality that refreshes my mind. 

Today let us close our eyes and think, what do we wish to do that we could do all day? Reading, writing, playing an instrument, drawing, painting, or even doing nothing is a quality. I have noticed that most people can't stay still and want to do something, even if I can't. So if you can stay still doing nothing for even 15 minutes. I say that's beautiful quality!

Take out a day to do whatever you want without any hesitation!

Apart from these hobbies, it is essential to have God's seven qualities in us:
Wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

Begin Your Day With A Close Meeting With God - During the early morning hours, when nature is silent and pure and human beings are quiet and detached from their physical existence, experience yourself as a soul and enter the soul world and float in it, touching and absorbing the pure vibrations of God. These vibrations will fill you with God's 7 qualities.

Rishona Chopra
Grade 6
Gyanshree School

Journaling: My Little Book Of Feelings - Rishona Chopra

Journaling is keeping a diary. You don't have to write long letters. A few drawings, page tearing, or even a few sentences can say it all. I like to call my journal - My Little Book Of Feelings because, in a day, I have so many feelings. In the morning, I am all happy and bright, and by the end of the day, all gloomy and sad. You never know! I am very unpredictable if you talk about my feelings.

You don't need to have a proper diary, just take a piece of paper and vent all your feelings. But then, when you have an excellent journal, and at the end of the week, you look at what you have written, you can reflect on your situations in a better way. I think expressing yourself by writing is much better because when you tell them with a person not necessary, they would actually understand your feelings, but that's just my way of doing it!

On the cover of my diary I have written - Open if you dare, don't you dare try to do that and of course have used lots of stickers and decorations to make it look beautiful. If you open my diary, you'll see torn pages that I pulled out of anger (and sometimes happiness). Even though you know I didn't mean it when I said, "Don't you dare open my diary", I am requesting you not to open it!

Every day is a new day with new feelings,
By writing, you feel you are healing.

Keep a small diary,
Tell all your thoughts about society.

You can boast,
And teel how you burnt a toast!

You can talk about all your friends and the things they did,
And how you want a best friend who is a friendly kid.

Share everything you want,
With no worry about the handwriting or font!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Determination - Yashraj Sharma

"A dream does not become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work".

- Colin Powell

Determination is a state of mind that we ought to have when we are doing work; it becomes most helpful when we are doing something we are struggling with. 

Let me tell you about one of my life experiences:

I will tell you about my Nani; she has always been a very hardworking and persistent woman. She has been a Principal of a school for underprivileged students for the last 38 years. When she joined, the school's strength was only around 200,  and the classes were only till the 5th grade, but since she has joined the school, it has progressed a lot. There are 1000+ students, and classes are till the 8th grade. Because of her determination, endurance and hard work to make the school progress to its fullest. She was also awarded the president award in 2009 by our former president Mrs Pratibha Patel for the same. She is my role model.

Here, I want to share my own experience also.

I am not a drawing person. One day, my mom suggested that I should join calligraphy classes. Initially, I was not sure whether I could continue with the lessons. But it's been a year now, I have learnt two types of calligraphy skills...and I have started taking an interest in drawing too. This happened due to my firm determination and willpower.

So, in the end, I would like to say that determination is the only thing that we need to move forward whenever we are doing an arduous task or failing in doing a task.

Yashraj Sharma

Grade VII

Gyanshree school