From the Around the Corner newsletter, Issue 8:
"What does Thanksgiving mean to you?" Mr. Marvin McBoom asked his class.
"It means Christmas is almost here!" exclaimed one of the kids.
"We get to go Christmas shopping right after dinner!" said another.
Mr. McBoom straightened his tie and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all," he said. "It's a day to spend time with the ones I love and a time to be thankful for all the blessings in my life."
"What's a blessing?" the youngest kid in the class asked.
"A blessing is something in our lives that is useful or necessary to us that we are glad we have," explained Mr. McBoom. "We all need food, but not everyone has good food to eat everyday. So I am thankful for the food that I have.
We all need a place to sleep at night, but not everyone has a home.I am thankful that I have a safe place to go to at the end of the day and a nice soft bed where I can sleep."
"Oh, I see," said one student. "My grandmother who takes care of me is a blessing. She gives the best hugs."
"Our electricity went out during the big storm," one of the kids said. "Electricity is a blessing. It means we can cook food and wash our clothes."
Another student spoke up. "I was lonely when we moved and I had to start at a new school. My new friends are a blessing."
Mr. McBoom, wearing a big smile, stretched out his hands and said, "You all are blessings and I am thankful for each of you!"