In the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around…
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When in Bahá'í history
In the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around Glenwood Springs. Fujita recalled that: . . . on the way back I saw a little shop, with a great big watermelon, ripe, red. So, I, myself, like watermelon, so I bought it and carried big watermelon like this, and when I brought home to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, sitting He watched me. "What do you got there?" He says. I said, "I have watermelon." "All right, come!" Immediately, He put His hand in the center of the watermelon and started eating. "Wait, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I want to bring you a knife and fork!" "No, never mind." I was glad. And then we had to share with all Bahá’ís. And then at midnight we took train.
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 208
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: simple-life).
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do devotion and patience meet in this story?
For teens
- What is one quality you'd want to carry forward from this account?
- Which line in this story surprised you the most?
Reflection
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "In the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
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Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life
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