Page 1
Mino hurried into the garden that morning. The family was making a little vegetable patch. Mino had drawn pots, flowers and a winding path on paper. ‘There is a place for everyone,’ Mino said, setting the plan on the table.
Page 2
Just then a breeze lifted the paper. It sailed over the fence and disappeared. Mino's face fell. ‘We cannot do anything without our plan!’ Mum sat nearby. ‘I can see you are upset. Let us take a little breath first.’
Page 3
Dad brought a fresh sheet of paper. ‘I remember the shady corner,’ he said. Mum remembered the flowers beside the gate. Mino remembered the little stone in the middle of the path. They took turns talking. Pieces of the plan were still with them.
Page 4
Mino drew a new path, adding Dad's idea for a wider bend. Mum placed a flower pot beside it. ‘It is different from the old plan,’ Mino said. Then Mino smiled. ‘But all our ideas are in it!’ The garden belonged to everyone's imagination.
Page 5
They prepared the soil together. Mino carried the small pots; the adults lifted the heavy ones. They made space for each seedling. When they finished, something better than a perfect drawing stood before them: a slightly crooked garden made with everyone's care.
Page 6
That evening Mino hung the new plan inside the door, away from the wind. ‘A plan can disappear,’ Mino said, ‘but we can still think together.’ The family shared a hug. What small part of a shared project would you like to take on?
Talk together
What small part would you like to contribute when your family works together?