A Habit of Gratitude

(Photo of Conway Scholars with their benefactor Bill Conway)

‘Tis the season of gratitude — Thanksgiving! Not a moment too soon for our politics-weary nation, we pause to spend some precious time with families and friends, stuffing ourselves with stuffing and secretly rooting for all turkeys to be pardoned so we can select from the alternative menu without feeling traitorous. Between the great Thursday feast and Friday’s mad rush to start Christmas shopping (really, do people do that, still? Everything’s online, but what else do we possibly need to buy?)…. between all of those rituals, we really do need to pause to think about the idea of gratitude, and to express thanks to those who have made so many lives so much better because of their presence, wisdom and generosity of spirit, talent and resources.

Few qualities are more important to develop from a young age forward than the habit of gratitude. We may have days, months and years when we have few tangible goods to share, but giving thanks costs nothing while reaping incredible rewards for those who deliver this great gift constantly. Gratitude is infectious — people on the receiving end of gratitude are usually so moved that they start giving thanks as well!

We have many reasons to cultivate a large habit of gratitude at Trinity. We should start with the many remarkable benefactors who make it possible for so many of our students to reap the benefits of this great education. The photo atop this blog shows our great benefactor Bill Conway and many of the 80 nursing students he currently supports through the Conway Scholars Program. Thank you, Bill and Joanne Conway!

Another group of students, our Trinity Dreamers, receive tremendous support from a scholarship organization founded by our friend Don Graham, pictured above with some of the Dreamers. Thank you, Don Graham!

This fall we are still marveling at/totally enjoying our beautiful new Payden Center, made possible through the great generosity of many alumnae and friends, and especially thanks to Joan Payden ’53 whose big gift made the whole project possible. Joan is pictured above at the dedication with members of her family and Shirley Salazar, recipient of a scholarship that Joan made possible. What tremendous generosity! Thank you, Joan Payden!

Many other alumnae and benefactors have given, quite literally, millions of dollars to support Trinity students and to support the academic center project. We are so grateful to all alumnae, benefactors and friends. Thank you!

We would not be here today to enjoy the wonderful benefits of a Trinity education without the vision and devotion of the Sisters of Notre Dame. The photo above includes many of our friends, faculty and supporters among the SNDs. Thank you, Sisters!

Our Trinity Trustees devote countless hours of volunteer service behind the scenes to make sure that Trinity is on the right track and well managed. The photo above shows our trustees proudly cutting the ribbon at the dedication of the Payden Center. Thank you, Trustees!

We are blessed with so many remarkable, devoted faculty — the photos above include some of our very talented STEM faculty — and the great work of our faculty with Trinity students is the entire reason for Trinity’s existence. Thank you, faculty!

We have so many hard-working staff who do so much every day to keep the campus in good shape and safe, who advise students and work out financial aid packages, who make sure our technology is great and our business affairs are well managed. The photo above shows our wonderful team leader Andres Marin taking care of business during a snowstorm last year — let’s hope we don’t need the plows too often this year. So many thanks to all of our great staff at Trinity for all of your tremendous work!

There’s Dean Meechie Bowie in the photo above helping a student get ready for graduation! She and so many other staff help students get ready in so many ways!

Finally, we are here for our students…. thank YOU, our students, for giving joy and meaning to our work each day! Here are some of the thousands of reasons why we are so grateful to have such wonderful students at Trinity: