Giving, Sharing, Gathering, Loving…A Flurry of “Thanks” at CCA
Maritza Cosano Gomez
November 19, 2009
Filed under Commentary, Editorial, Top Stories
If you’re looking ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday and already feeling excited, you’re not alone. Taking out the Thanksgiving decorations does it for me. Although fall in South Florida doesn’t produce much of a seasonal change, if you’re anything like me, you probably still like to dress your house with fall’s earthy colors. Orange and browns, spattered with yellows, reds, dusky purples, blues and deep plums—these complete and compliment autumn’s leafy green colors.
Anticipating my family’s arrival on Thanksgiving Day, I lovingly gather these colors in the form of fine linens, door hangings, and fresh flowers, and splash them all around my house like you would with a fine brush on a fresh canvas. That colorful but clean palette leads to a transformation that’s just breathtaking. Of all the seasons, I love fall most of all. But as much as I love this season, the one thing I love most about it is that it brings so many opportunities to teach our kids the joy of giving, sharing, gathering and loving.
At Calvary Christian Academy, our kids are learning this lesson well. Elementary and secondary students alike are learning that Thanksgiving is not just a holiday when families and friends reunite to have a fun, family feast and watch NFL football on TV. They’re learning that Thanksgiving is a special day, and in a world that doesn’t like to give much credit to the One responsible for providing each day—especially this one with all the bountiful fanfare it provides—our students are doing their part to keep both “thanks” and “giving” in the Thanksgiving holiday.
There’s been a flurry of “thanks” going on all around CCA this week. The stuff that I call “the smile of thankfulness.” Specific songs, art projects, history projects, writing assignments and more was centered around this theme at the elementary school. They made 34 Thanksgiving baskets, many of which were delivered last weekend by our volunteer room moms to families in need.
The site overwhelmed me this Tuesday, though, as I passed by the Kindergarten classrooms and listened in closely to the tiny voices coming from inside. You could barely see the kids through the windows on their doors, because their heads were bowed down with their hands clasped together in front of their faces in an act of reverence. When I looked closely, I saw their eyes shut tightly as they prayed very hard. One by one, they lifted their small voices to heaven, saying “God, thank you for this beautiful day. We thank you for our school, and for letting us learn about the Holy Spirit. We thank you for letting us learn about you so that when we get to heaven we can be with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“Thanksgiving is important,” explains Susan Alexander, elementary principal. “It’s important as Christian educators that we model a heart of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us through His gift of salvation and what he continues to provide for us on a daily basis. Contentment is a result of a grateful heart. Academically, it is important for our students to be taught the factual account of the rich heritage of our American History.”
In the secondary school, I saw much “giving.” A kind smile, a student helping another student carry her books because she’d hurt her foot, a high school student holding a door for a teacher as she passed by, and a student saying “thank you” to his teacher for correcting him for something he did wrong. Those are ordinary things; this I know, but oh, how love makes all the difference in the world! Love is not complicated; God never intended it to be. And it’s good to see our students are learning how to love, because the world is watching and maybe they are catching on, at least during this holiday season.
I mean, it’s not just churches and schools that are reaching out to the people in need, giving of their time, talent, and treasures. Corporate America is doing its best to give back to their communities, too. I would like to believe that they too recognize that Thanksgiving is a special time set aside to give thanks and for doing good deeds—and not because it’s trendy, not because there’s a tax write off at the end of the fiscal year, but because there is much good in giving. You read their stories—the result of myriad press releases flanking the Media, who in turn plaster their newspapers with headlines that surprise us with their best “spirit of giving” stories. For a week, at least, they take a break from the standard gloomy fare (“Students Claw their Way to the Top”) to provide a glimpse of mankind’s good side (“Chain Reaction of Good Deeds in Portland, Austin and Beyond”).
But I imagine that it is God who surprises us most of all, by giving us the thought that if we would gather our resources—much like we do with our holiday decorations—and share them in and out of season, well, maybe we would find that we could change the world. In the simple act of giving the best part of ourselves—Christ in us—we find strength in each other, because in our hearts and minds there is nothing we can’t do. Imagine that!
The CCA Weekly Staff would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.