“To show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
That is the definition of gratitude. When I think about our family’s experience with Oakwood, gratitude is only a small word to describe how we feel. To us, the most important part of that definition was “to return kindness.” The Oakwood community has done so much to help develop kindness and growth in our daughter. It’s been a joy to watch her grow from a new incoming 7th grader, full of nervous excitement and curiosity, to the outspoken, risk taker, selfless, kind young woman she is becoming in her 11th grade year. What goes beyond her growth is the way we, as her parents, have been welcomed to this community. We’ve been able to volunteer in a way that is so gratifying, not only for our daughter, but the entire school, and we are grateful to be able to do so. We don’t take this experience for granted.
Gratitude, a small word with such an amazing meaning.