Making Dreams Come True
Camp provides mountaintop moments every day. A perfect forehand, an inspired artwork, a softball game… the list is endless. One of those moments happened in front of the entire camp last night with the Dance Battle EP. It was fun, funny, wonderful, and inspirational. When the Jonas Sistas won the coveted trophy the entire camp celebrated this moment with them. It was so sweet to see the joy in every face as Tentalow Upper Six rushed to congratulate their cabinmates as soon as the program was over. It was a dream come true!
Camp presents an amazing opportunity for camp directors… for we get to decide exactly what circumstances each day should include for an entire village of people. We decide what time to awaken and when to sleep, when and what to eat, where people go and what they do when they get there. These are all circumstances under the control of a camp director. Add to that such things as quality health care, dependable trash service and utilities. Even the news and entertainment services. Few positions allow such scope of power… the more I think of it the stranger it sounds. It is a very odd situation.
I bring that up to just let you know why this blog often turns introspective. Much of what we do arises from what the directors think is needed. We keep notes on every event, thus adapting each tradition year to year. We keep a careful eye on the current “feeling” of camp. If we sense a need, we provide a solution as we try to make a perfect “bubble”.
At this point in the summer we are ready for some relationship centered EP’s; to just hang out. Tonight’s Corn Roast will give the girls exactly that. We will gather by the lake and eat a delicious picnic for dinner. This is no ordinary picnic… it is a celebration of smoked goodness! Featuring BBQ ribs, smoked chicken, beef brisket, and giant turkey legs along with a wide variety of salads and desserts. We will also serve ice cold root beer from kegs (a real treat) and relax while playing yard games, taking pontoon rides, playing tennis, reading books, and dancing (of course). We set up a “county fair” (playing games for tickets that can be used for cheap prizes), take party barge cruises on the lake, and dance to great live music.
It is a super relaxed evening that never stops… and the music is a hightlight. The Business (a really fun band that played Catherine’s wedding reception last year) plays a wide range of music classic party music and they have a GREAT horn section! The girls will love the camp wide dance party as the sun sets over a peaceful lake. We go to bed with full stomaches and full hearts.
The Skip Year Girls (girls who have graduated from high school but not yet in college… too old to be campers, to young to be counselors) will visit this evening and come to the corn roast as well as breakfast tomorrow. There is a large group of these wonderful girls and we are so excited to see them again!
Soon we will experience the big events of Main Camp. Things like the Talent Show, Horse Show, Water Show, Junior and Senior Plays, and Production Night. These big events are done exclusively by the campers who are working feverishly to get every detail perfected for that moment when they are put on the stage. You might think that this would lead to anxiety, but it doesn’t… for while the big event is anticipated, it is experienced as a moment of joy not a test. We love doing things for each other, a big show is really just a nice gift that we joyfully present to our friends. Our friends are encouraging us every step of the way and we enter into each day with the confident expectation that no matter what happens, it is going to be a Great Day! Dreams will come true in moments that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Classes are going well for every day counts at this point of the summer (a fact the counselors are well aware of and the campers are beginning to grasp).
We appreciate your support, especially the great letters and emails that fill the mail boxes every day. You are wonderful parents. Your girls are spectacular… well done.
