by Yee-Kit Chan (Class of 2022)

An occasional warm breeze ruffled the leaves of trees and heat waves warped the outdoor air as the class of 2022 at the Developing Virtue Girls School shared their joy and inspiration from their hearts with teachers and peers by making and exchanging Jars of Joy, recycled bottles with motivational quotes of kindness inside. The process of assembling this unique gift was an unforgettable journey the 7th graders experienced. With full understanding of the concept of sharing and giving, they transformed plain slips of colored paper into exquisite arrays of ombre, pastel, and rainbow hues, on which we wrote genuinely sincere and heartfelt messages in the hope the messageswould brighten the days of others. This took a few periods of hard work; however, we didn’t mind as we were having fun simultaneously.

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The Jars of Joy were actually quite easy to make. First, we cut strips of colored paper. Next, we picked and wrote some positive messages, quotes, and sayings on the strips for when you feel down and need a boost of positivity to get through the day. Then, we rolled the strips up, taking care that they would be taken out of the bottle with ease, and inserted them into the bottles. For the last step, we chose names for our bottles such as “Jar of Hope”, “Jar of Chinese Words”, and “Ripples”. Finally, we exchanged the bottles, each person taking home a pretty and decorated bottle of joy.

We were instructed to pick a random message out of the bottle every morning upon waking: “A message a day, keeps the sadness away.” Whatever you receive is exactly what you are meant to hear on that specific day, whether you realize it or not. Carry the quote around the entire day. If you can’t figure out what it means in the morning, having it with you while you’re out and about can help you connect it to your life. Also, if one quote specifically speaks to you, tape it or keep it somewhere that you can always reread it again when you need it. Last but not least, ​be open to the advice each quote offers!