November 21, 2006 > Thanksgiving

As we approach Thanksgiving, my heart is warmed by the thoughts of people who have been there for me throughout the two years that I have served on the Fremont School Board. I am also grateful for the challenges posed by various tasks, because they train and prepare me to serve our schools and community better.

What I have learned is to give thanks at all times, even when things go awry, because through hardships and troubles in life, our character is tested and shaped.  Thanksgiving is an attitude and a choice. We can choose to find the positive and beautiful in life circumstances and be thankful, or we can choose to focus on the negative and ugly and complain. This is not to say that we should be blind to facts and reality, but to try to find goodness even in bad situations. As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Let’s all be thankful for who we are and what we have - ups and downs in life, gain and loss of family and friends, success and failure at school and work, and glory and shame in pursuit of a goal and dream.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Ivy Wu
Fremont