"Faster, Noah, faster!" Grandma cheered, her apron strings flapping in the wind as Noah zoomed around the backyard. He giggled, pretending to be a cheetah, his favorite animal. Grandma had hung a big sign on the old oak tree that read "Gratitude Garden" and they were busy planting sunflowers.
Noah loved spending time in the backyard with Grandma. She always made him feel grateful for all the good things in life, like sunshine and yummy snacks! Speaking of snacks, Noah suddenly remembered the plate of warm cookies Grandma had left on the porch.
"Grandma, cookies!" he shouted, already halfway to the house.
"Hold on, Speedy!" Grandma chuckled. "Let's finish planting these seeds first. Being grateful means being patient too!"
Noah slowed down, a little pout forming on his face. He REALLY loved cookies. Just then, a colorful butterfly fluttered past, landing on a sunflower. It had shimmering wings with all the colors of the rainbow.
"Wow!" Noah gasped, forgetting all about the cookies. As he got closer, he realized it wasn't a butterfly at all. It was a tiny lady, no bigger than his thumb, with sparkling wings and a pointy hat perched on her head!
"Well, hello there!" the tiny lady chirped, her voice like tinkling bells. "You must be Noah. I'm Willow, the Gratitude Witch!"
Noah's eyes widened. A real-life witch! Willow explained that she traveled the world, spreading gratitude wherever she went. She gave Noah a tiny bag filled with magical seeds.
"Plant these seeds in your garden," Willow instructed. "They'll grow into Gratitude Flowers, and every time you see one, you'll remember something to be grateful for."
Noah promised to plant the seeds right away. As soon as Willow flew off, he grabbed Grandma's hand and dragged her to the garden. He told her all about the Gratitude Witch and showed her the magical seeds.
Grandma, who loved a good adventure almost as much as Noah loved cookies, was just as excited as he was. They carefully planted the seeds and watered them with the special watering can Grandma kept for her prize-winning roses.
Over the next few days, Noah and Grandma eagerly watched the garden. Soon, little sprouts began to appear, and then, one sunny morning, the first Gratitude Flower bloomed! It was a beautiful shade of purple, and it shimmered like a rainbow.
Noah's heart swelled with gratitude. He was grateful for his amazing Grandma, their fun backyard, and even those delicious cookies he almost forgot about! He hugged Grandma's knees and told her how much he loved her.
From that day on, Noah and Grandma made sure to spend time each day in their Gratitude Garden. With every colorful bloom, they remembered all the wonderful things in their lives, big and small. And whenever Noah felt impatient or forgot to be grateful, he would race outside, just like a cheetah, and find a Gratitude Flower to remind him.
And you know what? It always worked!
