BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD, Insider Editor
A common November assignment given to school children throughout the 50 states invites them to write a poem or some prose on the topic “I’m thankful for… .”
The sweet responses, scrawled in autumnal colored crayon on construction paper maple leaves or hand turkeys, get sent home by relieved teachers at Thanksgiving break. Parents stick them to refrigerators with magnets.
One year, my then-second grader brought home her gentle sentiments of thanks on a cut-out of a pilgrim hat. I was expecting to read how she was thankful for her two cats, her friends, her favorite stuffed animal, her sister and maybe, just maybe, even her doting parents.
No. She took a theological and existential turn.
“I am thankful for … God, because God made the world. If we did not have a world it wood [sic] just be a big rock. I am also thankful for Native Americans. If we didn’t have them all of the Pilgrims would be dead. That is why I am thankful.”
That child has never been one to mince words. These are serious and deep thoughts for a second grader. I picture her at her desk in Mrs. Newsome’s class, swinging her legs, tongue between her teeth, gripping her No. 2 pencil, staring up at the ceiling while searching her eight-year-old heart for her deepest gratitude.
Her stark insights still give me a chuckle. It’s hard to find fault with what she wrote. There she was with a busy mind contemplating how the world has come to be and the interdependence of communities. Thank you, Mrs. Newsome.
Thinking about my daughter completing this routine assignment inspires me to make my own list in time for turkey day.
I’m thankful for . . .
* Teachers. Kindly kindergarten teachers, whimsical art teachers, sturdy PE teachers, lyrical music teachers, courageous middle school teachers, passionate high school teachers. Teachers like Mrs. Newsome. There is no pay in it for them. But they show up anyway with hearts for shaping minds. They make us think. They help us grow.
* Pets. Goofy dogs, aloof cats. You can tell them all your secrets in exchange for treats, belly rubs and ear scratches.
* Home. You know the feeling when you drive up to the house after a long day at twilight and the porch light is on and the warmth glows from the inside? The smell of the roast from the crock pot you set earlier envelops you when you enter. The people you love are there. Grateful.
* Family. Of course. And friends. It goes without saying, and yet it must be said. I’m thankful for my kindred ones, the ones with whom there is no pretense.
* And chocolate. Coffee with just a touch of cream in a hand-thrown mug. The smell of old books. Red cars. Comfortable shoes. Mushrooms that pop up overnight in the damp earth. The hoot of owls. Boiled peanuts. Funny memes. Twinkle lights. Yard sales. A basket of colorful yarn. Faded photographs. Record players. Acoustic guitars. Art made by children. Old couples holding hands. God. Native Americans. You.
I could go on at length, but this particular “I’m thankful for” assignment has a word limit. I might just display it on my fridge. Just in time for Thanksgiving.
