On being thankful

I will say this from the beginning, my blog is inspired by the message that David Bills gave at New Garden Friends Meeting this past Sunday on this exact topic. I'm also inspired by my love of having a day that gives us all cause to stop and give thanks.

I know each one of us has challenges and difficulties in our lives, some small and some monumentally large. That being said, I'm thankful for a day that causes me to stop and reflect on all I have to be thankful for. I hope I don't bore you too much with my list and I promise you it will just be the very beginnings of a list. I do hope it will encourage folks to stop and think of their own list.

I am thankful for a community that has supported me through 25 years as an educator and administrator. That has given me far more opportunities to learn than I have given the students that I have taught over those years. A community that more times than not celebrates me for what I do well and forgives me for my weaknesses.

I am thankful to have an incredible wife, Carrie, who truly loves being the wife of a head of school. This is a blessing, because often times her job is much tougher than mine. As an educator herself she helps me to continue to grow in my professional work, this is simply the icing on the cake.

I am thankful for parents who spoiled me as a child but also held me accountable for my actions. I know that if I hadn't been successful in my life it would have been my own fault. They provided me every opportunity to succeed and to be happy in my life.

I am thankful for innumerable friends who care about me no matter what. Who support me in my personal and professional life. I am especially grateful to my friends who keep me sane by getting me on my bike or out for a walk or to a getaway to the beach, etc, etc, etc.

I am thankful for the opportunity to work with our students through the Quakerism seminar I teach and through coaching girls basketball. Almost all heads of school know that being with the students makes them better administrators but not all schools afford this to their heads of school. Working with the students keeps me grounded in what is most important, energizes me by being around their own energy, and allows me to better empathize with our great staff through both their celebrations and trials in their own classrooms with their own students.

I am thankful for a staff that puts everything they have into providing the best and most current education for the students at NGFS. A staff that is consistently bringing new, more scientifically researched information that continues to allow us to offer the strongest curriculum from age 3 through 12th grade that we know to offer. And for a staff that truly cares for me far more than most heads could ever imagine. I can only hope they feel so cared for from me.

I am thankful for a parent community that is so incredibly supportive of the work and play of the students of NGFS, and so supportive of the time and energy of our staff as they work with our students. Our parents play a pivotal role in making NGFS as strong a community as it is.

I could continue on and on and on, but won't at this time. I hope each of you has time over Thanksgiving to be with family and friends and share thanks for all that is good in your world.