Celebrating the Holiday Spirit Together – Anderson Connect

There’s magic in the air, a tingle of the holiday spirit finds us as we make our way to class, wander through tree-lit streets and shops, and consider how we’ll spend the well-earned break from studies with our loved ones. No matter how we celebrate, this time of year calls us to count our blessings, offer compassion and kindness as we can, and rest and engage in relationships and activities that rejuvenate our bodies, minds and spirits.

This month’s Connect aims to bring a little of that holiday sparkle and joy, with a message of deep appreciation for you, as our students, for allowing us to be a part of the remarkable journey you’re on.

May the season bring warmth to your door, hope to your heart and limitless love to you and yours.

Today’s read is approximately 4 minutes.

Inside this Edition:

• A Thought to Ponder
• A Short Story to Inspire
• A Short Video to Motivate

A Thought to Ponder

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

At Anderson we recognize the challenges so many of you have had to overcome to get to this stage of reinventing your career, your lives, the sacrifices you’ve made for family, the situations that some of your families face back in your home countries. Whether you can be together in person, or in heart, may this time bring a pause, renewed hope, and a resounding peace discovered again and again in the love you know and share.

A Short Story to Inspire

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a little girl named Anna. She had always adored the holiday season, with its twinkling lights, festive decorations, and the warmth of her family’s traditions. But this year, she felt that something was missing; there was something tugging at her heart beyond the thought of presents to come.

One chilly morning, as Anna watched the snowflakes fall outside her window, she heard a story on the radio about a family that was going through a difficult time during the holidays. She was inspired by the people who called in to offer help. Anna thought, “I wonder if there’s something I could do to make people feel happier?”

She set to work, with coloured pencils, paint, sparkly paper. For hours on end, she carefully created card after card. Each one read, “Someone thinks you’re very special. Xo A Friend.” Anna had been saving her allowance for six months to buy a fancy bike in the spring, but she decided, even if it wasn’t much, it could brighten someone’s day. She shook all the money out of her piggybank and divided it up and tucked $20 in each envelope along with her homemade card.

Then she headed out on her little secret, anonymous, mission. She started looking for those whom she felt this gift could help. On her way to school she saw a man sleeping on a bench and tucked the envelope under the hem of his coat. A woman riding the elevator in her building just looked so sad, she quickly and carefully tucked one into the outside pocket of her purse. Ms. Kealy down the hall was a single mom with a baby. She knew she worked lots of shifts at the diner because her parents babysat sometimes, so she slipped one under her door. The last one she saved for Mr. Lee, the man who worked so hard at the local convenient store. One day, after she’d paid for a chocolate bar and he turned to put something away, she placed the envelope on top of the till where he would be sure to see it.

As Anna walked home her heart was full. Although she had been so excited to buy her very own bike, she thought, “There’s no way riding it could feel as amazing as I do right now.”

One morning, after breakfast, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Anna called out as she ran to see who it was. She climbed up to look through the peephole as her mom had taught her, but no one was there. She swung open the door to try to catch a glimpse of the visitor, but she was struck still, staring. There, with a huge red bow on it, was a brand-new bicycle, just her size. There was a sparkly card attached. She opened it.

“We think you’re special too. Thank you for bringing such joy to those around you!”

Anna never learned who had left the gift, but every time she rode her bike, she thought of how amazing it felt with the wind in her hair, but most of all how it felt in her heart when she was kind to others.

Author ~ Jennifer M. Maki

1 Short Video to Motivate

(Piper) A Joy Story| Oscar Winning Short Film

May this season bring you opportunities to breathe in the magic with loved ones, bring smiles to those who cross your path, and know that you are deeply appreciated as a sparkling addition to our Anderson family. Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons.

~ Your Anderson College Family

Anderson College acknowledges that the places in which our 11 campuses reside, across Ontario and in British Columbia, are in the traditional territories of a diverse range of Indigenous peoples, the first peoples, who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. We are deeply honoured and privileged to study, work and educate on these lands. For a full acknowledgement for each campus region, please visit staging21.andersoncollege.com/newsite/landacknowledgements.