A time for thanks.
Dear Students,
Many of us will clear the campus this week, off to visit family or friends for the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be a welcome reprieve. With its end-of-semester pause from exams and homework, I almost think Abraham Lincoln must have been thinking of us at universities when he called on all Americans to observe a national day of Thanksgiving.
Talking to some students these past weeks, one hears in many students a recognition that the challenges they master today would have been unimaginable to them while in high school. Others are learning of their post-graduation plans as they interview for jobs or admission to medical schools. As a scientist, I am always grateful for not knowing, because the questions are to be cherished, and I am grateful for knowing, because small discoveries are glimpses in to nature's workings. Small or large, I hope you can use this week to be reminded of the advances you have made or opportunities you've been given this past year. As an old proverb says, "Who does not thank for little will not thank for much."
Best wishes for a safe week,
Sacha Kopp
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education,
College of Natural Sciences
GRATITUDE
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
—Author Unknown
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