A greedy mouse saw a basket full of corn. He wanted to eat it. So he made a small hole in the basket. He squeezed in through the hole. He ate a lot of corn. He felt full. He was very happy.

Now he wanted to come out. He tried to come out through the small hole. He could not. His belly was full. He tried again. But it was of no use.

The mouse started crying. A rabbit was passing by. It heard the mouse’s cry and asked: “Why are you crying my friend?”

The mouse explained: “I made a small hole and came into the basket. Now I am not able to get out through that hole.”

The rabbit said: “It is because you ate too much. Wait til your belly shrinks”. The rabbit laughed and went away.

The mouse fell asleep in the basket. Next morning his belly had shrunk. But the mouse wanted to eat some corn. So he ate and ate. His belly was full once again. He thought: “Oh! Now I will go out tomorrow”.

The cat was the next passerby. He smelt the mouse in the basket. He lifted its lid. He ate the mouse.

Life is lived in the present.  Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow is yet to be.  Today is the miracle.

Road  safetyEveryday many people are involved in road accidents. Some are killed. Many more are injured or maimed. So it is important for us to learn to use the roads properly and safely. No sane person would like to be involved in an accident.

As the roads are very busy nowadays, we should be very careful when crossing one. It is safer to use a pedestrian crossing or an overhead bridge whenever one is available. Never cross a road by dashing across it. That is inviting trouble. If there are no crossings, then we must look carefully right and left and cross only when it is safe to do so.

Some of us take the bus to school. It is important that we do not try to get on or off a bus while it is still moving. I tried to get on a moving bus once. It dragged me a short distance and nearly ran over me. I was lucky to escape with only some scratches on my legs. Also we must not fool around while in the bus. A suddenly lurch can send us knocking our heads against something hard.

Using a bicycle can be dangerous too. We must pay attention on the road and never cycle too far out to the middle of the road. We must obey all traffic rules. Also we must make sure our bicycles are in good condition with working brakes, lights etc.

These are some things we can do to avoid accidents. However there is no guarantee that we will never be involved in one. The important thing is to stay alert at all times while using the roads. We must know what is happening around us. In that way we can take necessary action to avoid danger whenever we see one. Road safety is very much up to how we use the roads. Use them carefully and we may be able to use them for a long time. Use them carelessly and we may never be able to use them again.

Dear Khushbu, 

Merry Christmas. The elves and I have been very busy making toys for you and all the other good children in Surat. We have some great surprises for you this christmas. Are you ready? (Don't forget to set out a small snack for me on Christmas Eve) 

Also, Khushbu, be nice to your family each day. We can all share a better world if we learn to give of ourselves. There is a little bit of Santa in all of us when we help each other. 

Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas, Khushbu

______________________________________________________________________________Dear Diary,Sorry I didn’t get to write last night! It was such a busy day, and I was too tired to write anything...I was right about Mahek not being okay. Yesterday, she barely spoke to me, and anything she did say was a “yes” or “no” answer.  I tried so hard to get her to cheer up, but of course she just kept saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine.” Uggh! I wish she would just be honest with me! I’m always honest with her! It’s not fair!Priyanshi also seemed mad all day because she could tell that Mahek was being fake nice to her. I hate being in the middle of all of this. What am I supposed to do? Mahek’s been my friend since forever, and Jane is my new friend, and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings! But I think that Priyanshi is right about Mahek. I think Mahek sometimes gets too dramatic about things. She’s being kind of a brat about all of this, but I don’t want to tell her that to her face, she’d never forgive me.I wish things were simple like they were in elementary school.  :( :( :(

Khushbu

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