Chrysanthemum

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Hello, my little friends. Are you all snuggled in and ready for a story?

Oh, this is a wonderful one.

Let's get cozy because we're going to hear all about a little mouse who has a very, very special name.

Oh, look at her right here.

This is our chrysanthemum when she was just a brand new, tiny baby all tucked in and sleeping in her little basket.

Oh, the day she was born was just the happiest day ever for her mommy and daddy.

Her mama looked at her and said she's perfect.

And her daddy said she is absolutely perfect.

And you know what? They were right. She was.

So because she was just so, so perfect, her parents knew she needed a name that was just as perfect as she was.

And why did they name her? They named her. They named her chrysanthemum.

Well, little chrysanthemum grew and grew and grew.

Oh, she got so big she learned how to run and jump and play with all her toys.

And the bigger she got, the more and more she just loved her special amazing name.

Oh, she just loved the sound of it.

It sounded like a sweet little song when her mommy woke her up in the morning.

And it sounded so warm when her daddy called her for dinner.

And you know what she liked to do?

She would stand in front of the mirror and whisper it to herself.

Chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum.

And you know what else? She loved the way her name looked.

It was so pretty all swirly on her birthday cake with yummy sweet frosting.

And she loved seeing it on letters that the mailman brought.

But her favorite favorite thing was to write it herself with a big chunky orange crayon.

It looked so beautiful.

Yep, chrysanthemum was sure her name was absolutely perfect.

And then a super exciting day came.

It was time for her very first day of school.

Oh, she was so happy.

She put on her sunniest, yellowish dress and had the biggest smile on her face.

A ray, she shouted, school!

Oh, but you know, on that very first day of school, something happened.

Something that made little chrysanthemum feel very, very sad.

This is when she had her very first tears.

So when it was time for the teacher to call it, everyone's name.

She said, chrysanthemum.

And oh no.

When the other little mice heard her long beautiful name, they started to giggle.

Poor chrysanthemum felt her cheeks could all warm and she just didn't understand.

Why?

Why were they laughing?

One of them said, it's so long.

And another one, named Victoria, pointed and said, you're named after a flower.

They said her name was just too long to even fit on her little name tag.

And just like that, chrysanthemum wilted.

Do you know what it means to wilt?

It's what a little flower does when it's sad and droopy and needs some sunshine.

That's just how chrysanthemum felt.

All of a sudden, she didn't think her name was so perfect after all.

But then, when she got home, her mommy and daddy were right there to give her big, warm, cozy hugs.

Your name is beautiful.

Said her mommy.

And it's precious and wonderful.

Said her daddy.

And they made her favorite dinner with lots of cheese and gave her so many hugs and kisses.

And she started to feel just a little bit better.

But, oh, the next day was another school day.

And as she walked to school so slowly, she could still feel that sad, droopy, wilting feeling deep inside.

And on the playground, it happened all over again.

Victoria and her friends came right up to her.

She even looks like a flower, said Victoria.

Let's pick her, said another one.

Let's smell her, they said.

And poor, poor chrysanthemum, she wilted all over again.

When she got home that afternoon, she was so sad.

But guess what?

Her parents were right there, with big hugs and her favorite cookies with chocolate chips.

They're just jealous, her mommy told her.

Of course they are, said her daddy, who wouldn't want a beautiful name like yours.

Oh my goodness, that night, chrysanthemum had a very sad dream.

She dreamed that she really was a flower.

And that Victoria was picking all her pretty petals off, one by one by one.

It was not a happy dream at all.

But then, guess what?

The very next day at school, something wonderful, something magical happened.

There was a new teacher.

And her name was Mrs. Twinkle.

She was the new music teacher.

And oh, she was like a fairy.

She was sparkly and her voice sounded just like a beautiful song.

Everyone thought she was amazing.

Even Victoria.

Yo, in music class, Mrs. Twinkle was giving everyone a part to play in the big school musical.

And she chose chrysanthemum to be a pretty daisy.

But then, oh no, Victoria and her friends started chanting,

chrysanthemum's a daisy, chrysanthemum's a daisy.

And for one last time, our little chrysanthemum wilted.

But wait, this time Mrs. Twinkle heard them.

She stopped playing her beautiful music on the piano.

And in her kind, sing-songy voice, she asked, what's so funny?

And right here, this is where the story gets really, really happy.

Because Mrs. Twinkle was about to help chrysanthemum's special name bloom again,

bigger and brighter than ever before.

Mrs. Twinkle looked at the class and said, her name is long.

And it is the name of a flower.

And you know what? It's beautiful, just like my name.

And then, she told everyone her first name, it was Delphinium.

It was another beautiful long flower name.

And she even said that if she ever had a baby girl,

she might name her chrysanthemum.

Because she thinks it's the most beautiful name in the world.

Well, after that, everything changed.

Just like that.

Suddenly, Victoria and all her friends wished they had beautiful flower names.

One wanted to be named Carnation.

Another wanted to be Emerigold.

All of a sudden, everyone wanted a beautiful long name, just like chrysanthemums.

And what about our chrysanthemum?

Did she wilt? No way.

Not one little bit.

She bloomed.

She felt so happy and proud.

She skipped and smiled and sang her name all the way home.

She knew her name wasn't just perfect.

It was absolutely, wonderfully, perfectly hers.

And that's our story.

Isn't it so wonderful to have a special name that is all your very own?

Every name is special and beautiful, just like you are.

I hope you loved our story time together.

Goodbye for now, my sweet friends.

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And as a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers and prioritize your needs.

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