Sophion, Uncle Humph and The Second Sorrowful Song

Sophion(TM), Uncle Humph(TM) and The Second Sorrowful Song(TM)What does courage look like when you have the power to fight back-but choose another way?Many creatures in the Kadayawan Valley are confused.Some are afraid.Some are angry.For the wise ones who do not yet understand have taken Jesse the Chief Steward(TM) away.Jesse has spent his life helping creatures.Healing creatures.Feeding creatures.Building communities.But frightened creatures sometimes mistake power for goodness.Anger for wisdom.And force for truth.Now Jesse is treated cruelly and unfairly. Everyone expects him to fight back. After all, Jesse possesses more power than anyone around him.But he does not strike.He does not shout.Instead-Jesse smiles.Not because he is happy.Never.Jesse smiles because smiles don't always mean happiness.Sometimes smiles mean Hope.Sometimes they mean courage.Sometimes they mean Grace.And sometimes they mean that the reason for tomorrow is bigger than the pain of today.The Second Sorrowful Song(TM) is a tender but difficult story about fear, anger, unfairness, endurance, and the surprising strength of refusing to answer cruelty with cruelty. It gives children and the people who love them a place to talk together about suffering without pretending suffering is good-and about meekness without mistaking meekness for weakness.Like every book in The Mabuhay Stories(TM), this tale invites readers to read aloud, illuminate their own lifelong edition, and encounter its questions together.Because power can destroy communities.MERCY builds them.And perhaps one of the greatest forms of courage is discovering-the invincible power of meekness.Mabuhay!