Summary: <br> Last week my family and I traveled back to Tennessee to see my parents and extended family. <br> <br> <br> <br> Photo by Kelly Sikkema – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit<br> <br> <br> <br> My parents both turned 79 this past year. Life has slowed down a lot for them now. One of my mother’s favorite past times, for instance, is walking the woods — gathering treasures like small rocks or interesting plants. When my fourteen year old son, Jack, joined her for a stroll during Christmas break, they found their way to a leafy spot above a natural spring and talked so long the rest of the family thought maybe they were lost.<br> <br> <br> <br> Later that night, Jack told me, “Dad, sometimes I’m jealous of Grandma.” <br> <br> <br> <br> “Why?” I asked.<br> <br> <br> <br> “She finds so much joy in the smallest things,” he explained. “Today she found a small leaf, and held it up saying, ‘Oh, look how beautiful and fragile it is.’ I wish I could be more like that.”<br> <br> <br> <br> “Me too, Jack,” I said.<br> <br> <br> <br> As I think back over the past year and look at the year ahead, I want to stay thankful for the small things.<br> <br> <br> <br> For instance, I’m thankful for another year of marriage. This was the twenty-sixth year my wife and I am grateful we’re still crazy about one another. I’m thankful for our two daughters who are successfully completing college: one junior and one freshman on the same campus. <br> <br> <br> <br> I’m thankful for weekly dates I’ve had with my two kids still at home during 2019: Watching sunsets with my sixteen year old daughter, Katie. She’s obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. One morning, I woke up early and saw the front door open. As I headed down the stairs to see what was wrong, Katie came bustling back in the door. “You won’t believe the sunrise!” she exclaimed. “It was so beautiful I had to run out into the front yard for a better look.”<br> <br> <br> <br> I’m thankful for the quiet moments with my son Jack. When he decides to talk, it can be worth the wait. A few weeks ago, he began telling me about the book he’s reading in English class, Night by Elie Wiesel – how it has convinced him that all of us are capable of allowing horrible deeds if we refuse to listen to the experiences of history.<br> <br> <br> <br> It is these small moments throughout the year that remind me of what is really important. And I’m sure, you have your own small moments that have built your most important memories this past year.<br> <br> <br> <br> I’d also like to tell you that I’m thankful for you. Whether you know me through my posts or in person, I’m thankful that you trust me with your time. You have a lot responsibilities in your work and families, and I value the opportunity to share ideas and learn along with you each week through these posts.<br> <br> <br> <br> In the lines that follow, I want to celebrate some of the small wins I’ve seen in the Principal Matters community with a quick re-cap of 2019. And as a token of gratitude for you, I want to provide you with a free professional development resource (at the end of this post) – something that may help you lead your team with more focus on their mission, vision, and goals for 2020.<br> <br> <br> <br> Another Year of Growth<br> <br> <br> <br> In 2019 the Principal Matters Podcast topped 345,000 unique downloads! It excites me that each episode averages more than 2,000 listens. Although this audience is modest in comparison to other nationally known podcasts,
