As we go about our day to day lives, we face trouble, hardships, and trials of our strength. Now more than ever our world, our nation, and our personal lives have been hindered because of the pandemic and the different stresses it puts on us. Whether it be academic, relationship, financial, physical, emotional, or any other form of load it packs on our shoulders, we all throughout these past 11 months or so have been through times nobody in history has ever experienced. Everything happened so fast, but we have also become incredibly strong and almost every person has learned something, grown, or adapted because of the situation our world has been facing.
In the darkest times of history, in the lowest points of each individual’s lives, there has always been a uniting factor; calling attention to the good. In every situation, I firmly believe, there is beauty in learning from arduous experiences, there is a chance to be thankful, and there is something good to see in our world and our futures. We have come together as a people and hopefully are coming to realize that no matter the challenges, trauma, stress, and physical loss we face, there is hope, as there always will be, and there is beauty in the struggle and strife of life.
Being thankful each and everyday for the little things and reflecting on things that uplift us reminds us that our future is only going to get better. A challenge I propose for everyone: Find something everyday that you can be grateful for, allow yourself to become stronger with the things you may not be so appreciative of, and live your life with a loving heart.
I proposed this question with a few individuals in the MHS, ranging from freshman to senior, and teacher to Assistant Principal, to see the things they’re grateful for; “What in your life are you regularly thankful for during these times that have been the most strange and difficult to face?”
People-
Ms. Brown-teacher
“I am thankful for every day that I have my family and friends. Each day that we have together, whether we are with each other or just sending a text, is a blessing! I am thankful for my students! I learn from them every day and love to watch them grow.”
Mrs. Unterbrunner-teacher
“I am thankful for my family and my faith. And I am thankful for all the people that are helping others at this time. All the people that are helping not just with the virus, but that are helping others in any way they can. I am very thankful for those people.”
Ms. Myrvik- para professional
“Always my family that’s kept me grounded and makes me feel that there’s something to live for. And when grandbabies come along, even more so!”
Mr. Ricke-Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
“I have such a big, loving, and supportive family, and that even though we don’t get to spend as much time together as we normally would, when all this is over we'll pick up right where we left off because our love for each other is so strong.”
Emily VanLiere-Senior
“words bla bla bla”
Mr. Cordts-teacher
“Well, it’s a pretty easy answer. Being here, being with you guys. I like being here and spending time with you guys and being your teacher... I am thankful to be living in the greatest country in the world, and pursuing my dream. The American Dream is right here, me pursuing my dream here with all of you, and teaching you American History, obviously.”
Elijah Hein-Junior
“My family, because they’ve been with me for most of this time, even though I haven’t been able to see them as much, but when I do see them we all greatly appreciate each other.”
Taylor Harms-Sophomore
“When people wear masks all the time, I tend to be more appreciative of actually seeing people smile.”
Jessie Tappe-Freshman
“Family and friends, they are always there for me; they support me in everything I do. Without them, these hard times would be even harder. They make bad times easier to bear.”