Soulful Sundays: Storytime! Lucy's Love-Filled Lantern

The Not-So-Special Sundays

Lucy felt sad. She was a six-year-old girl who lived in a small town in India. Her house was cozy and filled with family photos, little trinkets from vacations, and plants that her mom loved to take care of. She had everything she needed, but she couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. She looked forward to weekends, but it seemed like her Sundays had lost their sparkle.

You see, Lucy used to love Sundays. Sundays were the magic days, the cream on the milk, the first bite of a chocolate bar. It was a day when her family did special things. Sometimes they went on a picnic or visited a zoo. They would eat out, or Dad would make a barbecue in the garden. Those were the days she felt like a princess in her own little kingdom, where every moment was a treasure.

But lately, Sundays felt like a stale piece of bread—edible, but not enjoyable. The days became repetitive and lost their special touch. There were no more family picnics, no more visits to the zoo, and definitely no more barbecues. It was like eating plain rice when you’re used to biryani. Just home, some TV, and a handful of pyaj bhajis that her mom made. By the way, pyaj is nothing but Hindi for onion.

Her dad, Raj, sensed that something was off. He was good at reading Lucy’s mood, just like a captain who can tell a storm is coming by looking at the clouds.

“Don’t you love Sundays anymore, Lucy?” he asked one such Sunday evening, his eyes looking deep into hers as if he was searching for a hidden treasure.

Lucy sighed. “I do, Dad, but Sundays feel like Mondays now. They don’t feel special anymore.”

“Ah, the magic is missing,” Raj nodded, like a wise old owl who had seen many moons. “It’s as if our Sundays are wearing the same clothes every day and have forgotten how to dance.”

Lucy nodded. She felt a little relief knowing that her dad understood. It’s like when you can’t open a jar and someone helps you, suddenly it feels easier. “Exactly, Dad. Can we make Sundays fun again?”

Raj looked at her, his eyes twinkling as if he was holding a secret. “What if we find the magic again? What if we create something to make our Sundays special?”

Lucy looked up, her eyes lighting up like stars in the night sky. “Really? Can we, Dad?”

“Of course,” Raj said. “Next Sunday will be a day you won’t forget.”

And that’s how Lucy found herself eagerly waiting for the next Sunday, her heart pounding like a drummer in a parade. She couldn’t wait to bring the magic back into Sundays.

The Crafting of the Love-Filled Lantern

The next Sunday, Lucy and her Dad got busy right after breakfast. The kitchen table was now transformed into an artist’s studio. There were colored papers, markers, sparkly stickers, and even a small bottle of glitter glue.

“What are we making again?” Lucy asked, eyeing the art supplies as if they were a treasure chest she’d just discovered.

“A Love-Filled Lantern,” Dad repeated with a smile. “It’s like a cake, but instead of eating it, we look at it to feel happy.”

Lucy giggled at the analogy. “Okay, let’s make this cake—I mean, lantern!”

They unfolded a piece of yellow paper to shape the lantern’s base. “Yellow is the color of the sun. And what’s better than a sunny Sunday morning?” Dad said.

“Nothing!” Lucy exclaimed, adding strokes of yellow with her marker. She imagined the sun smiling down on all the Sundays to come.

Then, Dad picked up a green marker. “Why green?” Lucy asked.

“Green is for the leaves and trees that give us shade when we go for Sunday walks,” Dad explained.

Lucy’s eyes shined, like dew on a leaf on a Sunday morning. “I get it!” She colored the lantern green, thinking about how the trees whispered secrets when the wind blew through them.

“And what about red?” Lucy asked, already grabbing a red marker.

“Ah, red is for the delicious apples we eat during our Sunday picnics!” Dad said, laughing at Lucy’s enthusiasm.

Lucy dotted red all over the lantern, as if each dot was a juicy apple ready to be picked.

Finally, it was time to add the last color, brown. Mom walked in just as Lucy was about to ask why brown. In her hands was a plate of hot pyaj bhajis.

“These pyaj bhajis stand for family,” Lucy decided, circling a big brown patch on the lantern for pyaj bhajis.

Mom and Dad smiled. “Perfect!” they both said at once. “You know, pyaj bhajis also remind us of home,” Mom added. Lucy nodded, happy that her lantern had a piece of home in it too.

To make it even more special, Lucy and Dad added sparkly stickers and a dab of glitter glue. “This glitter glue is like the extra magic that Sundays need,” Dad said.

“And the stickers are the little surprises Sundays bring!” Lucy chimed in. She felt like a magician adding the final touch to a spell.

When they were done, they held up the lantern, looking at it with admiration. Each color and decoration was a reminder of what made Sundays so special. It was more than paper and colors; it was made of love, happiness, and the simple joys that made their Sundays unique.

“Wow, it’s really a Love-Filled Lantern,” Lucy said, feeling her heart swell with pride and excitement.

Dad looked at Lucy, then at the lantern. “It’s perfect because we made it together,” he said, his voice soft but filled with emotion.

Lucy felt her eyes get watery. This was more than just a Sunday project. It was a keepsake of love, a token of family, and a promise for all the special Sundays to come.

As they hung the lantern in the middle of the living room, Lucy felt as if they were hanging a piece of their hearts, a piece that would glow every Sunday, making each one special once again.

The Magical Sundays Return

Finally, the Love-Filled Lantern was ready. They hung it in the middle of the living room. The Sunday after, when Lucy woke up, she felt different. She opened her eyes, stretched her arms, and felt like she was waking up in a new world. The feeling was like tasting your favorite ice cream after a long time. Was it because of the lantern? She wasn’t sure. But she felt happy.

When she ran to the living room, her eyes went straight to the lantern. It was glowing softly as if it had soaked up the love from their family. “Wow!” she exclaimed softly to herself, captivated by the hues that seemed to dance in a merry circle.

Her Dad, Raj, was sitting in his favorite chair reading a book. His eyes looked up and met Lucy’s. “Happy Sunday!” he said, placing a bookmark between the pages.

“Happy Sunday!” Lucy shouted back, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.

“Ah, a truly special Sunday!” Dad announced, standing up and stretching.

Just then, her Mom, Priya, walked in carrying a plate of freshly cooked pyaj bhajis. “What’s so special today?” she asked, her eyes twinkling, almost as if she already knew the answer.

“We have our Love-Filled Lantern, Mom!” Lucy was practically jumping with excitement as she pointed to the lantern. “It’s like our family’s treasure map, but instead of leading to gold, it leads to happy Sundays!”

Her parents both laughed at her beautiful imagination. “I think our daughter is turning into quite the poet,” Mom said to Dad.

“That she is,” Dad agreed.

That day was filled with love and activities that they all enjoyed. They went for a long walk in the park, noticing things they hadn’t before. The sun seemed to shine brighter, the trees seemed to wave at them, and the air felt fresher. It was like a famous movie, but they were the stars. They spread a blanket under a big tree and had a lovely picnic. The sandwiches tasted like they were made from a secret recipe. They even had a couple of apples that seemed to be sweeter than any Lucy had ever tasted.

“And now, for the best part,” Dad said as they returned home. He went into the kitchen and returned with a plate full of pyaj bhajis.

“These pyaj bhajis are the finishing touch to our Sunday,” Mom added, as they all took one and bit into the crispy, flavorful snack.

Lucy felt her Sundays were now like a cake, and the Love-Filled Lantern was the cherry on top!

Later that evening, they all gathered under the glowing lantern in their living room. The colors seemed to dance and twinkle, as if sharing their joy.

“So, Lucy, is Sunday special again?” Dad asked, his eyes meeting Lucy’s.

“Very, very special,” Lucy said, her voice soft but her heart loud with love and happiness.

Mom hugged Lucy. Dad joined in. It was a family hug, under their family’s Love-Filled Lantern.

From then on, Lucy knew that sometimes all you need to make something special is to remember why you loved it in the first place. Just like she found out that her Sundays were special because she got to spend them with her family. And yes, eat some pyaj bhajis.

Lucy looked up at the Love-Filled Lantern one more time before going to bed. “Thank you,” she whispered. And somehow, she felt the lantern whispered back, “Happy Sunday, Lucy.”

As they sat under their Love-Filled Lantern that evening, their home was filled with love and laughter. Sundays were never the same again; they were better. Much better. And so every Sunday, under the glow of their Love-Filled Lantern, Lucy and her family found magic, love, and the special feeling that only Sundays could bring.