TIME TO GIVE THANKS!

It is Friday afternoon, a few hours before we close for a long weekend. Thanksgiving weekend…hard to believe this weekend is here already. It is really quiet in the office this afternoon. I am the only one in here right now and I thought it would be a good time to reflect on “thankfulness.”



While I type, I am listening to the announcement from the province about the shut downs that are going to start because of the increase in Covid-19 numbers. So here is my “first thankful”. No one in our office (staff or students) has or has had Covid-19. Even more than that, I am thankful that everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – has been respectful of the rules that we have in place to keep each other safe. I have not heard one complaint or watched a hissy fit because we are asking everyone to wear a mask. So I need to say a “thank you” to all of you. Thanks for putting other people before your own needs. Thanks for thinking of others in that you are working to keep us all safe.

My “second thankful” is for our community. Have you heard that we had a fire in December that destroyed our office??? (good joke right?) Our community has rallied around us to help us rebuild. As I look around the office right now, I still can’t believe how far we have come. We have books, tables, chairs, desks, computers, filing cabinets, phones, whiteboards, paper, files, pens, pencils, pictures and on and on. At this time, there is nothing that I can think of that we need. That might change on Tuesday but we are good. Our community has given so much to make sure our students have what they need to keep learning. And it has only been 10 months!!!! Thankful…that word doesn’t even cover how we really feel.

My “third thankful” is for our staff. Between the fire and Covid, our staff has never thrown up their hands and said that they couldn’t do it. To be honest, that was probably me!!!! No job was too big, no obstacle was too great for them to deal with. I think that the staff are the examples of how you put others before yourself. They really want to do what is best for our students. No person who walks through our doors with a desire to learn, is ever dismissed. Even during a pandemic. You might be asked a lot of personal questions when you come in but that is for the sake of others.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to me to say THANK YOU to all of our staff and volunteers. We are better because of you.

My “final thankful” is to our learners. It is interesting to write this point and to actually think of all the “thank yous” I received because we offer this service. But learners, you inspire all of us every day because of your commitment to learning and your determination to do it!!! Thanks for helping me/us to keep going when things get discouraging. You are an example to all of us about the importance of learning and why we open the doors every day.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Maybe as you sit around in your social bubble this weekend, you can think of all the things that make you thankful. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to turn it into a writing assignment on Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for everything you give to us!!!