Friendship

This is Sara, the author of our third and final entry on chapters 14 and 15, and her son. You'll see in her entry that she was impressed by the connections between the women in "The Faith Club" -- happy reading!

I have found these women to be very connected to each other. They have a friendship that not many people have with one another, even though they come from different backgrounds and religions. Priscilla, Suzanne, and Ranya are three ladies you can call sisters though they’re not blood-related. I felt connected to them while reading these two chapters. They are so close they are able to read each other’s minds by looking at each other’s facial expressions. For example, if one of them was getting upset about a comment that was being made, the other person could help defend her. They also enjoy each other’s company. Just spending time with one another was the most important thing for them; it did not matter where the location was or what they were experiencing. It reminded me of my best friend; we’ve been best friends since I was five years old and she was three years old. We have a connection similar to the Faith Club, and a strong bond that is hard for people to break; we can read each other’s minds and have many things in common. Today, we still have a close bond with one another, but it is stronger than the bond we had as children.

I thought it was humorous when Ranya was getting ready to go with Priscilla to attend her church because she was asking herself “What should I wear?” and could not decide. So she called Priscilla and asked her. I can relate to that statement; I remember as a child going through my friend’s closet and figuring out what she should wear to special occasions. She would do the same for me. Today as an adult it takes me a few minutes to find the right outfit for occasions such as a wedding or a holiday function; I think it is a “girl issue” that does not ever go away, no matter your age.

Ranya told a story about her son and a car ride they took to Vermont. She mentioned how her son dropped a cookie on the car floor, picked it up, kissed it, raised it up to the sky and then ate it. Ranya asked him, “Where did you learn that?” He responded by saying a Jewish friend taught him if the food drops on the ground, pick it up and give it a kiss; then it is okay to eat it. I thought it was interesting to hear Ranya speak about her son learning a new tradition.

During the holidays, each family has its own beliefs, traditions and religion. Suzanne provided a good example for how one can respect people’s holiday season and how they celebrate it. She figured out that instead of saying Merry Christmas to people on her holiday cards, she would say “Joy to the world.” Suzanne has many friends who are of different faiths, including Jews. She does not want to offend anyone who does not say Merry Christmas. Instead she respects other people’s cultures. I think this is a good lesson for a preschool setting. In my child development classes, I have come to the conclusion that learning about each child and family’s culture, religion and beliefs is important. This knowledge can help a preschool teacher incorporate diversity in the weekly lesson plan. For example, if the families are mostly Jewish, the preschool teacher can incorporate the holiday teachings of Passover, Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays into daily and weekly lesson plans. Teachers need to work to include cultural events; for example, incorporating faith and cultural events representative of the students in her class.

After reading these two chapters, I have learned a lot from these women. These women have taught me that it does not matter what religion you are, it is friendship and similarities that bring us together. These women wanted to tell people about their experiences and accomplishments. They have overcome many obstacles in their lives. It is important to not judge someone by their religion, beliefs or culture and, instead, look at the individual’s whole life. I feel that these women wanted to be accepted and not be judged by anyone. They are only human.