Wednesday... Closing Vespers

I awoke this morning to the sound of birds. We have a lot of birds the make their summer home in the pines, hemlocks, maples, and birch trees of camp. The 6:15 sunrise prompts the 10,000 birds of camp to do their own version of Reveille… it is the sound of the dining hall, but in bird song! So loud it shocks the ear, if you pay attention to it. Most don’t notice it, preferring sleep (good choice); but I can’t help but marvel at the moment.

So many moments worthy of note happen every day. We are still basking in the successful production of “The Little Princess” last night. Not one line was missed, the costumes were wonderful, props effective, staging was innovative, and it all came together from the very first moment of the program. You could hear a pin drop when the curtains opened (the stage microphones do not pick up very well, so it is very important for the audience to be quiet). From the first moment, I was captivated. The play makes much more sense to me (plot wise) than the movie… and I never read the book so the movie is the only reference I have. In the movie, Sara (the little princess character), ultimately finds her father is the mysterious man who lived next door to the school. In the play, that man is actually her late father’s business associate… it works better in the play than the movie (in my opinion). The girls did an amazing job, they provided a wonderful evening at the theater!

Dinner last night is worthy of note: Taco In-a-Bag!! This camp tradition was invented by my father who was looking for an easy food to serve the campers at a picnic. He claimed that he thought of it, but it is such a good idea I have to admit that I wonder if he heard about it during his travels. This is so easy, anyone can do it… and serve an army of people if need be. Simply purchase individual serving sized Frito Chips, cook up some taco beef, shred lettuce, chop tomatoes, salsa, sour cream… and put everything in a buffet line. The girls grab a bag of chips and fill it with the taco fillings. Disgustingly Delicious. It is amazingly good, a HUGE HIT with everyone. The girls loved the laid back feel of a summer evening picnic too. Lots of playing by the lake in another of those picture perfect moments.

Today we will be surprising the girls with a silly gift… a life sized “big head jimboy”. The idea is to do a kind of “Flat Stanley” game with the “Big Head Jimboy”. Take “Jimboy” along with you to interesting places and then share the moment by taking a picture and showing it off on the camp website. Every picture, gets a chance to win a prize (these are REALLY good prizes, VERY nice and ONLY available as prizes in this game). Every month we will announce the winners for that month, with the prizes getting better as time goes one. It should be fun (and funny to see what they girls come up with). There will be a world map that shows each submission… it is really cool. We hope that this is going to be one of the more popular “games” we have ever done. I can just see it going viral. Genius.

We will also be enjoying our last day of MWF classes. Today will be the last chance to pass that level or complete that project… it will make for some very busy classes! Combined with this activity are those who are wanting to focus more on that last good chat with a friend (we make some really good friends in classes, sometimes only getting a chance to talk during the class). There is a poignancy to every moment of camp now. Happy/Sad…. the two go together. It is really a wonderful feeling.

This feeling will color our final moments of the day. Closing Vespers is a celebration of poignant moments. We gather around the flag pole after Council Fire, lighting candles and holding them high in a direct reflection of the Opening Vespers moment we shared at the beginning of camp. The girls realize how quickly the time went by, the beauty of this community, the beauty of God’s Love for us, the beauty of the light they hold and impact it has… so many lessons and so heart achingly beautiful. The girls will be silent, they will be mature in their appreciation, touched by the memories of what they have experienced this year.

Some tears will be shed as we walk up the hill, as we have our devotions, as we hear taps blow. Not by everyone (that comes at Main Camp)… but by a lot of the girls.

Camp is a wonderful gift; the significance of which is seldom understood. We hope that you will notice something special in your girls when you pick them up on Friday. A twinkle in the eye that is brighter, a step that is more confident, a maturity that makes you proud. They are wonderful girls and we are honored to have been included in your family for the past few weeks.

Be careful as you drive… we pray for your safety and happy reunion.

Sincerely

Jimboy