Happy Thanksgiving. Couple words
said every year at this time as casually as “How are you?” and “Good
morning”. Some of our neighbors and friends have no
trouble identifying both tangible and intangible rewards in their lives that
make them appreciative. Things like a
happy and safe family, the birth of a new child, a promotion at work, a warm
house, or a shiny car. However, there
are those among us who struggle more to find such largess in their own lives
and deal with circumstances less able to draw from them the gratitude that success
and comfort bring.
Regardless of which category one might fall, I like to think that we can
all find some place in our lives where at least the opportunity for
thankfulness resides. Perhaps it is not
the complete success or windfall where we cannot help but accept our good
fortune, but instead it is found among those smaller incidents in life that
augur upswing or a chance for improvement.
A job interview you didn’t think you would get, a chance meeting with an
old friend, a better diagnosis than the one we were imagining, a subtle but growing confidence in our abilities, or
even a yellow-light as we are rush somewhere late. Those opportunities for a positive moment,
sometimes in the face of difficult times, hopefully can lead to some small
triumph on which we can build. If I look
at my life as a whole, I have been given much.
At our school, we are fortunate to have a wonderful staff of teachers
working with a group of motivated young men and women who represent this
community with pride. However, at some
point, all of us confront the defeats and tribulations that life apportions
frequently and dispassionately. It is in
those moments that I hope we all find the strength to seek the seemingly
inconsequential gifts that remind us of
our potential happiness and contentment.
To give thanks for only the “opportunity” of our success is to recognize
the inherent difficulties of our lives while refusing not to acknowledge that
we have been given the chance to pursue our happiness each and every day.
Have a wonderful holiday.
