MAXIMize the Moment Volume 1, Issue 5

Now it's time to MAXIMize the Moment!

I can't believe that my mom is doing this to me. In the last two days, I have had a test in every one of my classes. All of my friends are going out to lunch this afternoon to celebrate the start of the long weekend. I would so rather be at lunch with them, but my mother is making me go to my kid brother's Thanksgiving play instead. I am so tired of doing what other people expect from me!

I genuinely like my brother, but I'd much rather be hanging out with my friends than spending my afternoon sitting in an elementary school gym watching a bunch of eight year-olds walk around in construction paper hats.

As I wait for the curtain to rise, I could hardly be in a worse mood. I'm annoyed at my teachers for all of the work I had to do this week. I'm annoyed at my mom for making me come to this. I'm even a little annoyed at the cuteness of the brown, orange, and yellow decorations that surround me.

Then my brother's teacher, Mrs. Larkins, gets up on the stage to announce the start of the show.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to our fifth annual Thanksgiving celebration. Your children have been working very hard and are so excited about this year's production. Before we begin, though, we are going to do something a little different. At the suggestion of one of the students, today's performance will benefit the President's fund for the children of Afghanistan. Students will be walking up and down the aisles with hats. Please give whatever spare change you can."

Then it hits me. What kind of a person am I? I've been so grumpy, so full of complaints. The kids in my little brother's class have more perspective than I do!

It was just over two months ago that we stopped conjugating verbs in Latin class and turned on the television instead. As I watched the smoke rise into the clear, blue sky, I swore to myself that I would never again take for granted my life, my family and my freedom.

Last week, I heard on the news about the children of Afghanistan. So many of them fatherless. So hungry. So poor. And I realized again that I had been given so much.

I have tests at school only because I get to go to school. I have family obligations only because I have family.

How could I ever forget all that I have? How can I make sure I remember it in the future? Suddenly, I think of a quote that used to hang in my room when I was a kid: "Gratitude… turns what we have into enough, and more." My mom put it there because her family had always struggled to make ends meet. That quote reminded her of her roots and of her current good fortune.

As corny as that quote has sometimes sounded, I think I'll dig that old plaque out of my closet and hang it up again.

May it help to remind me. May I never again forget. May I have gratitude because "Gratitude… turns what we have into enough, and more."

This week's maxim is "Gratitude… turns what we have into enough, and more."

Teacher Information

Maxim

• "Gratitude… turns what we have into enough, and more."
  Melody Beattie

Featured character trait

• Gratitude – I recognize the many gifts and opportunities in my life and I appreciate them.

Character points (for substitution if this week's trait isn't one of your school's core values)

• Appreciation – I take the time to realize what I have and to say, "Thanks."
• Thankfulness – I am aware of my blessings; I feel a sense of joy and humility because I do not take things for granted.
• Caring – I have the compassion to recognize what I have and to see what others lack. I honor others by being mindful and grateful.

Discussion starters / journal writing prompts

• List ten things you are grateful for.
• Which five are most important to you? Why?
• Does your list contain anything that you would not have included last year? Why?
• What does it mean to be a "grateful" person?
• Why is it important to be grateful?
• Does a person filled with gratitude interact differently than someone who takes things for granted? Explain how.
• How would a person filled with gratitude respond to challenges, difficulties, and the irritations of everyday life?
• What sorts of things cause you to pause and be grateful?
• How can one foster a spirit of gratitude from day to day?