Dear RCS Community,
On a recent Wednesday, at all school Mass, Fr. Peter asked the question “why did the leper come back to Jesus when he realized he had been healed?”. As I sat there thinking about the answer to that question (and checking on my students as all Kindergarten teachers do), I knew the leper had returned to Jesus to give his praise and thanks for what Jesus had done for him but how does that relate to me? I thought about how perfectly timed this Gospel reading of the 10 lepers being cleansed was as we approached Thanksgiving.
During this time of year, we see many people jump right over Thanksgiving and head straight into preparing for Christmas. While anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas, I also do everything I can to make sure the Thanksgiving season does not pass me, or my students, by without taking time to remember the real meaning of this season, to give thanks and give back.
Taking time to give thanks doesn’t always mean finding each person who has helped you and telling them thank you, while that is a nice way to give thanks. Sometimes giving thanks can come in the form of a special intention during a rosary or a prayer before meals. Each day in my Kindergarten class we say a special prayer of thanks before we say our Prayer Before Meals. I ask different Kindergarten students something they want to say thank you to God for in their life. As you can imagine, we get many different things, friends, dogs, cats, parents, teachers, even Jesus! When we begin this activity at the beginning of the year many students are thankful for specific toys or games. But, as we continue to learn about what thankfulness, or gratitude, means I begin to notice how what they are thankful for changes into something more meaningful.
Words and prayers are a powerful way to show gratitude but sometimes giving thanks can be better shown in the form of actions. Giving back can be a big thing you and your family might do together, like volunteering at a soup kitchen or at a food bank. And while those are wonderful ways to show gratitude, it would be very hard to take a class of kindergarten students to volunteer! Instead of big things, I try to teach, or show, my kindergarten students ways to give back right here in our school or in their home.
Little ways to give back might be things like drawing a picture to make a friend, parent, or grandparent smile. It might be something like picking up trash you see on the floor even if it is not something of yours. My personal favorite is a high five or a hug. These little actions can show someone how important you are to them and can turn even the roughest days around.
I hope this Thanksgiving season, you are able to give thanks and gratitude to those around you. Whether it is through your words, your actions, or your prayers, just remember how the leper showed his gratitude to Jesus and was rewarded with so much more than he could ever imagine.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Liz Gonzales
Kindergarten Teacher
Resurrection Catholic School
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