A Season of Thanksgiving

As I write this, we are one week away from pulling out the turkey and all the fixings, spending much needed time with family and close friends. For you, perhaps this is a time for rest. I suppose it could also be a time of stress for others. The students are also eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving break with great excitement and energy; managing the classroom has become quite "intense" by now, or maybe even impossible. We're also one week away from being a nervous wreck about the upcoming Christmas concerts and parades, wishing there was more time to rehearse and bring it all together. By the time you read this, however, these things will all be mere memories to look back on.

I was thinking about this holiday season and everything in my life I am thankful for. I am thankful for my wife, my children and extended family. I am thankful for my church and my close friends. I am thankful for my job and the many wonderful people at Palen Music. I am also thankful for you, our band and orchestra directors. The sacrifices you make for our students each and every day do not go unnoticed. The positive influence you have and the stories you could tell all contribute to the many, many reasons I am thankful for your service to our children, our families and our communities. In many ways, our children find "home" away from home through the special moments you help create. The more of you I meet, the more I realize that your calling is truly unique and special; a calling that should be honored as often as we have the opportunity to do so.

To the director who paid for the student's book and supplies out of your own money, because the family was going through a difficult time, thank you. To the director who let the student use your own personal instrument, because they had just lost their mother in a car accident and didn't have the money for their own, thank you. To the director who stays late and arrives early week after week without any extra pay to help aspiring musicians get ahead, thank you. To the director who spends many sleepless nights and "goes the extra mile" to be a support system for the abused or impoverished student, thank you. To the director who comforted the entire band after the sudden death of an alumni band member, while mourning the loss and staying strong, thank you. To the director who has given up higher pay and greater recognition to invest a lifetime into the lives of rural communities, thank you. To the director who has invested everything and given up much to bring amazing band programs to the cities and large school programs, thank you.

There is much to be thankful for. This Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to let you know how thankful I am for people like you who have answered the call. You have invested so much in the lives of our students, our families and our communities in this very special way. I hope you know how important you are. Happy Thanksgiving.