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Reflecting on Thanksgiving
Thursday's Chapel service was an opportunity for me to say well done for such a strong start to the academic year and for making it to the Thanksgiving Weekend in good heart.
For many of us this has been a step into the unknown, and we appreciate the support and kindness we have received along the way.
There is much to reflect upon – from classroom challenges to new friendships, from Inter-house competitions to community gatherings.
Tuesday’s Chapel service and Wednesday’s wonderful Cops for Cancer event added a special ingredient of ‘hope’ to this week.
This is the Lamont family’s first Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to gathering this weekend with friends for a traditional roast turkey and trimmings – and pumpkin pie.
According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during a 1578 voyage in search of the Northwest Passage - the expedition was plagued by ice and freak storms that, at times, scattered the fleet. On arrival at Frobisher Bay, the priest held a service to express thanks ‘for their strange and miraculous deliverance.’
Over time, it has transformed into a feast to give thanks for the past harvest season. In recognition of the harvest festival, we invited all members of our community to donate to our local food bank - to support those less privileged than ourselves.
Thanksgiving in British Columbia is now an official holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October each year.
I have also learnt that Canadian Thanksgiving has a different date than American Thanksgiving, though it does coincide with the observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day across the border.
There’s a conservation area in Milton, Ontario, that I’ve read about – it has a path around the lake with pictures and short stories of indigenous people and their celebrations. One of the stories is about ‘thanksgiving;’ it starts with this sentence:
"Thanksgiving to native Indians was a way of everyday life rather than a one-day celebration."
I rather like that.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather annually with family and friends and to reflect on the blessings of the year gone by – but perhaps we should pause to reflect each day to give thanks for what we have.
It is part of developing a generosity of spirit and daily sense of gratitude.
Tomorrow, coincidentally is World Teachers’ Day – focusing on awareness, understanding and appreciation of the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development of young people.
With this in mind, I would like to finish by inviting the students present to express and ‘give thanks’ to all our staff – both present in Chapel this morning or at work elsewhere on the campus – for their support and kindness over the past month.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving break.
3rd October 2018
Richard D A Lamont
Headmaster
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
