Tonight the virtue we learned about was Silence. The leader began by asking if any of the girls had heard the expression Silence is Golden? Or if you do not have something nice to say do not say anything at all? Or the rhyme Wise old Owl?
We discussed that some of us are more outgoing and others of us are shy. God created all of us and we are all beautiful. It is important to remember that being quiet does not mean you are forgotten. Sometimes we are loud because we want to be the center of attention for selfish reasons. Other times we are talkative because we have great things to share and will burst if we don't get a chance to share them!
The girls did a listening activity. They broke into pairs and were provided with a few interesting questions to ask their partner. The goal was to actively listen to the other person and be like the Wise Old Owl. We gathered back on the carpet squares and the girls shared a few things they learned about the other person. The youngest group of girls shared that they both had pet cats that died. Others shared each others favorite smell or their favorite vacation spot.
James 1:19 Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath
After sharing We stayed on the carpet squares and further developed Silence as a virtue. The girls got a a quick reminder of Christian virtues (virtues are good habits that we practice to grow closer to God).
We covered that the virtue of Silence is not the same as Library Silence.
Silence as a virtue means being aware of inner life, the life of our soul and the peaceful silence that we spend with God.
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. Psalm 139: 13-14
God the Father formed our inmost being, our inner self, our soul! Of course he wants us to be silent and just be peaceful with Him.
We discussed concrete examples of how to quiet your heart and soul and spend quiet time with the Lord. And the girls actively participated in creating a Cell Phone Manner List. The girls felt very strongly, that their parents should look at them (directly) when speaking and not at their cell phones. They also agreed that cell phones do not belong at the dinner table.
The last activity of the night was to visit Spain and create an interactive brochure of the country. We had pre-made tissue flowers for the girls hair. We started by talking about Spain and showing its location on a map of the world. We read about St. Genoveva, learned about the Catholic roots in the tradition of the Running of the Bulls and discovered the Camino el Santiago (The Way of St. James.).
The girls had pre-cut pictures and scrap book detailing materials to decorate a tri-fold brochure entitled “A Tour of Spain” Little Flowers Girls Club.
