ratitude is something that none of us can give too much of! It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings us peace each day, and creates a vision for tomorrow. And for these reasons, I would like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” and to let you know how grateful I am.

       You stepped outside of your comfort zone and accepted the vision, even when you couldn’t see yourself in it. After all, how could this vision come to fruition in the face of staff and budget reductions? You let go of many of the old ways of doing things, admitting that there could be better ways of effectively serving parents and guardians. You took the time to get to know one another, realizing that it was necessary if you were going to be a real team! You learned to trust that changes being asked of you were not meant to hurt, even though they may have at times. But you also learned to ask questions about the changes to better understand that they had purpose.

       I hope that the experiences will enable you to see the glass as half full more often than half empty. I hope that you now realize just how resilient you really are. And I hope that you feel good about the contributions you make each day when parents partner with you to help our children!

       I have come to respect and depend on each of you in a separate and collective way. And I realize that this is nothing to take for granted. Getting respect because you’re the boss is certainly appropriate, but getting respect because you’ve earned your team’s trust is far greater! 

       There are clearly times when my energizer bunny batteries get a little low; but I get recharged because I can always depend on you to keep me on my toes. When this happens, it causes me to be thankful for those who have charged me up, when I’ve needed it most. You often lift me up without even knowing. Thank you! 

       Each of you have allowed me to be “brutally honest” with you, as you are afforded the opportunity to be with me. This relationship has helped me immensely. There’s nothing more comforting than cutting to the chase instead of bypassing or tiptoeing around sensitive issues, trying to get to the real point. Thanks! 

       While we have much heavy lifting before us, the great news is that I am confident you are all on board and up for the challenges!   

       I chose this venue to personally thank the PACE Team because I wanted to make sure that the parents and families in the city of Springfield know that we are working harder and smarter to partner with you to ensure that our children are successful!

       THANKS to the Springfield parents and to the PACE Team—each and every team member, for a job well done!   n