The brilliance of fall colors are showing as the summer greenness fades away. Days become shorter and the air crisper. Hosanna students and teachers alike take advantage of the outdoors before welcoming the icy cold and snow drifts of winter. Classes take a break from desks to sit on the grass and bask in the delightful autumn sun. This time of year comes with much enjoyed activities like our annual nature hike and Thanksgiving lunch.
Our annual hike is a pure delight as you watch students express excitement while they explore and discover nature. It’s always a pleasure to get the students away from concrete city blocks into raw nature. As they experience the things they have only heard about in textbooks their world opens up in a completely new way. No longer are things just imagined or seen in pictures, now they exist in real life. Watching these students find delight in the little things of life such as moss growing on a stump, leaves on a tree, and little creatures crawling in the dirt, made me stop and wonder how often we take for granted the little details that God has given us to enjoy.
The day before the Thanksgiving lunch school is already filled with delicious aroma’s of pumpkin spice cookies and pumpkin pie. The atmosphere is charged with a hustle of action as tables and chairs are arranged for the festivities. Table cloths and decorations make the place feel festive and inviting. The sixth grade class puts forth extensive effort as they prepare to feed all the staff and students. The day of the event, you can see eager students pilling their plates with traditional Thanksgiving food. An atmosphere of gratitude is generated with thankfulness lists and songs and poems with a similar theme.
Soon winter will engulf us in a flurry of different activities. As the school year moves forward, may we all continue to find joy in the little things that God has given us.
Deanine taught at HCS for 6 years. This year she has been helping our new staff transition into their roles.
