Thanksgiving

Last week I had to run to the hospital to check on a church friend who had a minor surgery that turned into a major surgery and a week stay in the hospital.  I was rushing to the hospital via Drayton and maybe it was the fact that I hate hospitals or that I have a teenage driver son, but I couldn’t help watching how very fast drivers were going on this road that has an actual 35MPH speed limit. As I neared Pine Street where I would be turning right, I made sure I was in that lane-like a good driver should. And as you would have it, the closer we got to the stop light where many turn right, cars sped past me on the left looking to merge right at the last possible moment. Normally, this type of behavior annoys me senselessly. It is my sense of fairness that usually annoys me. I often feel that these cars should wait in line like I have rather than trying to wreck our cars by sticking their nose in front of me in order to get over.  Yet, on this day, I allowed two cars to merge right who were stuck by drivers not allowing them space to merge. Did it cost me anything? No. Did it bother me at all? No, not on this day. Yet, it seemed that this was annoying to others around me.

This stuck with me all week. So, as I rambled around Spartanburg, I looked for ways to do something that others needed. It was small at first. I would hold a door open for someone, I paid for the person behind me in line for coffee, and I allowed someone else the closer parking space.  Several opportunities came up for me to do some other random acts of kindness at school as well.  The more I did this, the better I felt, yet a strange thing happened as well. It was a BAD week last week- I mean really bad. I felt like every time I picked up my phone, checked my email, or invited someone into my office, I was knocked down. In some weeks, this would make me sad, angry, depressed or both, but what I found was the more I did that was kind, while I hated all the other things that were happening it was amazing how all the kindness started to subject the sting of all the bad things happening.

With Thanksgiving upon us, I started thinking about all the things that I was thankful for and my mind began wondering to all of those things that bring me sadness. I am saddened by the number of students we still have who are below grade level in reading-no matter how much work we do in RTI and in small group instruction. I am saddened that our bookbag blessings weekend program is struggling to meet the demands of our most needy students since the number has grown. I am saddened by the stories of broken homes, difficult life circumstances, and terrible situations detailed by some of our students. I am saddened at the immense grief of hurting staff members due to loss, brokenness, financial hardships, sickness, and so many other things. I am saddened by a situation with one of my own sons and the grief he is feeling. But you know what, I realize that even with all that sadness, I have so much in this world to be grateful for and what I can do is give. I can give a smile. I can give a hug. I can give a kind word. I can give a parking place up or delay my trip to allow someone to get in front of me. I can do so much. And I realize that I get so much in return.

It is hard to ask a group of educators to give even more than they already do. We give more than our share of a 40 hour work week. We give our planning periods up in order to grow as professionals, we give up eating lunch to sit and talk with students, we give up our family time to talk with parents, we give and give and give. But I ask you to spend some time this week, to find some ways to give-without costs- to others. 

And it is my prayer that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving-how ironic that it has the word giving in it……