The January calendar page gets flipped over, torn off or grayed out. And just like that, the new year isn’t so new any more. The excitement that brought us into Christmas and into this new calendar year has waned. Though the days are getting longer, winter is not yet ready to let go. January blues. February blues. Doldrums. Whatever you call them, many people experience them.
We have reached the midpoint of the school year. Doldrums and blues aside, this is a great time to step back for a moment and reflect on our school theme: Growing In Grace and Gratitude. Doldrums and blues can make us forgetful people. Forgetful of the loving God. Forgetful of how we got to this midpoint of a school year, and to this moment in our life. Forgetful that in spite of our brokenness, God has woven us together into a school community. 
He has stitched us into a fabric of many classrooms, staff groups, parent councils, supportive grandparents, teams and friendships. And somehow, by grace, God has made it possible that within this stitched-together community called Edmonton Christian Schools, we can all grow and discover ways to actively play our role in God’s story! Amazing, blues-beating, doldrum-defeating grace!
And their is one more gift of grace. Gratitude.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
…it turns what we have into enough and more.
…it turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order,
confusion to clarity.
…It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.Melody Beattie (formatting and emphasis mine)
bulletin board at ECNS
May our thankful hearts, right now, help us to understand the past, find joy and serenity in today and give us excitement, hope and vision for the remainder of this school year!
