Once upon a time, there was a village where every villager had an ache or pain of some sort. One day, all the villagers gathered to talk about their ailments.
The first villager complained of a cough, the second had a fever, the third had a stomach ache, the fourth had a cold and so on. Suddenly, a wise old man appeared. He asked, "Why are you all feeling so sick?" They replied, "We don’t know, we just have these aches and pains."
The wise old man smiled and said, "I have the cure for all your troubles." He handed each villager a big hug and a smile, and suddenly, all their aches and pains disappeared! They were no longer dizzy, no longer had toothaches, no longer had sore throats or headaches.
From that day on, the villagers remembered, whenever they felt sick, all they needed was a big hug and a smile to make them feel better.

Moral of the story: The power of love and happiness can cure all your troubles.

Reflections

1. What was wrong with the village people?
2. How did the wise old man help the village people?
3. What did the village people learn from the wise old man?
4. Why do you think hugs and smiles can make people feel better?
5. Can you think of a time when a hug or a smile made you feel better?