As I come into the Karate school the students file in for their lessons. One of my young students, Lincoln, walks into the school with his mom and we greet each other;  he walks toward me with a postcard in his hand and says: “Here Sensei... “  On the postcard he had written: “Thank you for teaching me, I love Karate. Love Lincoln” along with a Karate stick figure. I was touched and so happy to get this wonderful and unexpected gift.

I get similar notes, drawings, and even special toys from my students. Once, a three-year-old gave me his toy keys which made musical sounds. I was honored but a bit confused, his mom explained that it was his favorite toy, and that he wanted me to have it.

I am very much moved by the generosity and gratitude of my students, and it makes me reflect on what a positive effect these little, thoughtful gifts have on me. I know that my attitude, my self esteem, and my mood all took a positive boost from Lincoln’s postcard. It also made me reflect about all the people that I could impact positively if I actually expressed my gratitude for them in a
concrete way.

While most of us are polite enough to say “thank you” to others, think about how much more thoughtful it is to give someone a note, to actually write down your appreciation for them. I am not talking about going out and buying a greeting card, no, most of my “Thank you” notes are pages torn off school notebooks, in fact, I never even thought about what they were written on until just now. It is about what is on the paper.

Someone once said that gratitude is acknowledging that someone has done something for us that we could not have done for ourselves. Lincoln’s note reminded me of that, and that I also must be more proactive in showing my gratitude to others. It takes only a few minutes to do so, but it can change a person’s life, or at the least,
their day.

Thank you to all our Colorado Karate Club families for your continued support and trust.

Willy Strohmeier - Sensei.