For the month of November, I am looking at different stories and some the spiritual insights expressed in them. 
 
This School Has A Bench For Kids To Sit On When They Don’t Have Anyone To Play With
“Somebody will come find you and they’ll include you in their game.”
When you’re a kid, finding someone to play with can be hard. That’s why the  Willowgrove School  in Saskatoon, Canada, just installed a new bench in their playground called the “buddy bench.” Kids can sit on the bench when they’d like to be invited to play.
                When 7-year-old student, Matthew Henkelman, was asked by  CBCNews  if he had used the buddy-bench before, he said he had. He said only took about “a minute” for other kids to ask him to join them on the playground.
                The kids at Willowgrove seem to love the buddy bench, as it provides them with a subtle way to let other kids know they need a friend.
                Once again, Canadians got this whole “friendly” thing down.
 
                The above story came from Buzzfeed.com which I had discovered to be a website that suffers from attention deficit disorder.  The website covers a wide arrange of topics.  The above story of how one school community is helping those who are having problems fitting in at recess reminds me that sometimes the solution to our problems are much simpler than we think.  The bench provides an opportunity for children to ask for help in being included without have to look weak in front of his or her peers.  Secondly it allows those who are a part of a group to know that others are in need.  I truly believe that most problems like this are a result of neglect and not malice.  The children, knowing that there is a special bench, now know when a classmate wants to be included in their games.  This teaches the children to seek out those who are in need also which is another great lesson. 
                I can personally testify what Mother Teresa says about loneliness is true: “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” I would have benefited greatly from a bench like this.  I know most of the time when I was left out of recess games it, I also had with me a fear of being rejected.  The bench would have given me a place to go and ask for help even if no one came, at least I would not have been reject to my face. 
                Growing up as an outcast has made it easier for me to dedicate my life to making others feel included.  When I am a gathering, I try to find those who are hanging out by themselves and I try to encourage others to make sure no one feels unwanted.  Jesus was probably pretty good at noticing those who felt alone or that they did not belong.  He was able to see Zaccheus up in a tree and know that the woman who touched his cloak needed more than physical healing. 
                “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” ―  Mother Teresa
 
Who Is the King of the Jungle?
There was a young lion who wandered from his father to test whether or not he would get the same respect from the other animals as his father did. As the young lion approached some monkeys, he roared and asked, "WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE?"
The monkeys, being afraid, responded, "YOU are!"
                The lion replied, "And don't you forget it!"
The lion repeated this to each animal in the jungle and got the same response until he came across a herd of elephants.
                The little lion roared and asked, "WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE?" The big bull elephant walked closer to the lion, swooped him up in his trunk, swung him around and around and finally threw him in the river. Battered and wet, the little lion replied, "Just because you didn't know the answer to the question didn't mean you had to get nasty about it!"
 
Who is the king of your life?  God or you?
Why do we feel the need to impress people in order to make a name for ourselves?  Why can we spend more time trying to impress people by being loving individuals?