As most of my friends or anyone who knows me well would know I am not the biggest of public speakers. So writing and delivering a vesper, for me was not going to be an easy job. We all have previous ones that we will always remember. So I decided to look at these for motivation.
Now, I do have a page where I save quotes that I find either enjoyable or motivational to read occasionally. So I decided to use one of these quotes for my vesper.
Some of you may know it; it goes a long the lines of, ‘yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. And that is why it is called the present.’ For me, I feel this is brilliant for camp. We should appreciate what we have with us here and live in the moment.
For most of us our camp experience may only last 14 days each summer. For some of us it may be our first, third or unfortunately our final year at Coniston.
Camp provides us with so many opportunities that we may not get anywhere else. Where else can you climb the ropes tower; jump off the high dive; paint in arts and crafts; act in the drama show; or even go on an overnight, sleeping around the lake surrounding by the stars, all in one place.
As some of you may know Coniston has a number of different pillars or values that they focus upon, inclusion being one. For me I feel that this is one of the most important. It makes us all feel welcomed and at home here. We all come from different places, all with different personalities. But it is all of us that helps make camp the great place it is. Creating bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Some of my greatest memories have been at Coniston, even though I have only spent three summers here.
Before I got here I knew no one, and it was the first time I had ever been to America. As soon as I got off the bus I didn’t know what to expect, but I was greeted by staff and instantly felt welcomed. I have since met some of my greatest friends here. Most of these friendships have helped create memories that I will never forget. Much as the time in 2018 when Colin had convinced all of camp that it was my birthday, only about 6 months too late. Or even in 2019, the simplest times of kayaking the lake with some of the overnights team; Matt, Izzy or Zoe. It’s these friendships and memories that I hope will last forever. And I hope all of you are able to say the same.
There is still plenty of time left to try new things, live in the moment and create new friendships.
The things we regret most, are the things we wished we had done sooner.