The Ocean I Carry

The biggest storms don't always happen outside. Sometimes they are feelings we carry within us.As Melo prepares for his first swim meet, excitement quickly turns into a wave of fear he doesn't understand. With his heart racing and anxious thoughts growing louder, he begins to wonder if he's ready. But when he learns to picture his anxious feelings like the waves of an ocean inside him, Melo discovers that even the biggest waves rise, fall, and eventually become calm again.Through a gentle ocean metaphor, The Ocean I Carry gives children a way to understand the anxious feelings that can sometimes feel too big to explain. Melo learns that anxiety may be something he carries inside him, but it is not who he is. His anxious feelings may come in waves, sometimes small, sometimes big, and sometimes overwhelming, but no wave lasts forever.With courage, self-awareness, and hope, children are reminded that they are so much more than the feelings they carry. Wave by wave, they can learn to understand their emotions, move through them, and trust that even the biggest feelings will eventually pass.