GENERATIONS
I was thinking about what I wanted to say today – to honor my mom , your moms , and also Saint David ’ s , our school song came into my head . And got stuck there .
“ All that we can be , all that we will be , all we are began in thee .” That ’ s obviously true about our moms . And I know that it ’ s true for me about Saint David ’ s : almost all the things I love doing and learning about now started when I was here . Mr . Best showed me that I love to sing ( in this room , he taught me to look up at the exit sign , above the crowd , to calm my stage fright ). Dr . Gilbert taught me how to ask questions of the world around me ( in Fifth Grade science ), Mr . Kilkeary brought theater and acting into my life , Mr . Ryan shared with me the magic of good writing , and Dr . O ’ Halloran gave me an ongoing master class in public speaking .
What did my Mom teach me ?... Everything . That ’ s the right answer .
But most of all , she taught me about beauty . She still does . In the way she sets her table — with linen napkins and candles made of beeswax . How she knows the name of every flower she ’ s planted and every flower she hasn ’ t , and when they ’ ll make their way up and into the sun . The way she makes her own entrances — fashionably late but as elegant as any peony , allium , or hyacinth . How she arranges the moment to make it lovelier , to make it last – wicker Easter baskets , and stockings at Christmas , the gravy for Thanksgiving that she stirs over low heat in high heels . She ’ s filled my life with color and fireplaces and clean and gentle spaces . She ’ s taught me to dress well , lead with a joke , to leave a guest room cleaner than I found it , to play jacks , four-square , and charades , to rage against hopelessness , to accentuate the positive .
She has shown me what it feels like to be loved just for being . And all love begins there .
My mom has taught me how to pay attention to the details waiting for you in every room and every day . In that lesson , she had a partner : my other alma mater , Saint David ’ s .
I remember sitting in this room every morning and staring at these stained-glass windows . These delicate , breakable panes of glass have made it across continents , through wars , countless eyes and hands , and five centuries – to greet us here , every morning , with light . Sometimes , I would stare so hard at the ship or at Mary Magdalene cleaning Jesus ’ s feet with her long golden hair that everything else would fade out around them , and the windows would pulse and glow – brighter and brighter until it felt like there was nothing else in the world .
It felt like heaven on earth .
I can ’ t imagine how hard it is to be a fifth grader now . There is so much pulling at your attention
William Best with Tommy Robertshaw ’ 10 all of the time . The things I at the reception following the Grade Five remember , of course : puberty ,
Mother-Son Chapel . friendships , homework , grades .
And many things I didn ’ t have to worry about when I was your age : Instagram , texting , the climate crisis , TikTok . Everybody wants a piece of your attention , and they ’ re willing to beg , barter , and steal to get it .
The education you ’ re getting here focuses intentionally on beauty . You are surrounded by beautiful objects and art , by teachers trained in the best that has been thought , said , written , sung , painted , and prayed . If I can offer any piece of advice to you all it ’ s this : let beauty slow you down , let it work its way into your thoughts , let it soothe them . Pay attention to little things , to details . When you do , I think time becomes elastic , moments last longer , and you feel very much alive .
My mom and Saint David ’ s have taught me how to notice , celebrate , and hold onto beauty . Think about what your moms have taught you . What Saint David ’ s has taught you . And enjoy your time here – it is so very special , and faster than you think , it will become a memory .
Be good to your moms . Thank you .
Tommy Robertshaw ’ 10 is also a graduate of Taft School and Williams College , where he studied theater and English . He is a writer and works in advertising .
Summer 2022 • 73