[uplifting music] - Well, hello, friends.

So nice to see you today.

I was just thinking about traditions, family traditions.

So things that you do repeatedly with your family.

They could be yearly, they could be each month.

But I was starting to think about the special things when we do those traditions.

So sometimes there's special clothing you wear.

Sometimes there's special food.

Well, there is a book I was reading with my daughters, and I was gonna share it with you today.

Would you like to hear it?

It's called "The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story," written by Dezh Azaad, illustrated by Nan Cao.

And this goes through the day of a life of an Afghan refugee boy and this special carpet that is there for all of their family events.

Let's see, let's read it together.

"The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story" written by Dezh Azaad, illustrated by Nan Cao.

We sip our tea and talk together.

Ruby cushions of goose feather.

The carpet is for sitting.

[serene music] We gather greens, fresh and crispy: basil, mint, dill, and parsley.

The carpet is for prepping.

[serene music continues] First comes washing, then it's soaking.

Stems from leaves need mindful splitting.

The carpet is for helping.

Folding out a red waxed cover; mother, father, sisters, brothers.

The carpet is for sharing.

[serene music continues] "Don't bring crumbs into the kitchen, spread them out across the garden!"

The carpet is for caring.

[serene music continues] We hop from cliffs, hot lava here.

"Quick, watch out, a shark is near."

The carpet is for playing.

[serene music continues] Rooks are fast, pawns are slower.

"Your king's stuck, the game is over."

The carpet is for learning.

[serene music continues] We read tales of buried treasure: flying Simorgh, born of fire.

The carpet is for listening.

[serene music continues] My parents speak of family they had when they were young and free.

The carpet is for remembering.

[serene music continues] Their smiles fade behind closed doors.

Our lives crushed by others' wars.

The carpet is for standing.

[serene music continues] Though I'm small, I know it's wrong to never fit, never belong.

The carpet keeps me strong.

The carpet is for dreaming of a place that I have never known.

The distant land we call our own.

The carpet is a piece of home.

[serene music fades] Did you see all the ways that they used that carpet?

It was literally woven into everything they did, whether it was sharing, caring, prepping, and just playing together.

Talk with your family members.

See what are those special things that maybe you use and you don't even realize you use it all the time, and it's just kinda woven into the awesome things that you do each day.

Well, I hope you enjoyed "The carpet."

Until next time, bye.