감사 항아리

A Lean Winter

The snow came early that year, and the woodpile shrank fast. Papa had lost his job at the old paper mill in November. Money was tight now, and the dinners grew smaller each week. Mara watched her mother count thin coins across the kitchen table. "We do not have much this winter," Mama said softly. "But we still have each other, and that is a real gift."

The Thank-You Jar

One cold night, Mama set an empty glass jar on the shelf. "Each day, we will each write down one small thank-you," she told them. Mara frowned and crossed her arms. "What is there to thank for?" she asked. Mama only smiled and handed her a little slip of paper. Mara thought hard, then wrote two words: warm socks. She folded the slip and dropped it into the jar. Slowly, day by day, the empty jar began to fill.