Zawadi

My son's homework came home the other night with the following instructions: 

"This holiday season we are practicing the Kwanzaa principle of zawadi with our classmates."

He was to write a compliment letter to one of his classmates, telling three specific things about that student that he has appreciated this year at school. 

Wow.  Shouldn't we all be doing that exact thing for friends and family at every year's end?

As I looked into this zawadi (sah-WAH-dee) concept more, I found that zawadi are educational or culturally enriching gifts given as a reward for commitments made and kept. They are not given automatically. They are symbols of personal growth and achievement, beneficial to the collective.

What a fantastic concept!

All I can tell you is that each of my children and my husband will be receiving a Kwanzaa zawadi compliment letter from me in their Christmas stocking this year.