10/11/2026
Thanksgiving can hold many things at once. 🍂
For those who are grieving the death of someone they love, or supporting someone who is approaching end of life, a holiday centred on gathering can make absence, changing traditions, or uncertainty feel especially present. Gratitude and grief can exist together — there is no expectation to feel thankful simply because it is Thanksgiving.
As we gather this weekend, we also recognize that Thanksgiving does not hold the same meaning for everyone. Chilliwack Hospice Society is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Stó:lō people, within the lands the Stó:lō know as S’ólh Téméxw. Stó:lō relationships with these lands and waters, including traditions of harvesting, gathering, gratitude, and responsibility, long predate the Canadian holiday we know as Thanksgiving.
May this weekend offer an opportunity to approach gratitude with humility: to give thanks for the harvest and what the land provides, to appreciate the people who nourish and care for us, to remember those who have died, and to reflect on our responsibilities to one another, the land, and the communities of which we are a part.
However this weekend feels for you, there is space for grief, gratitude, reflection, and connection.
From all of us at Chilliwack Hospice Society, we are holding space for you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving. 🩵