Taking Time

Today we will celebrate one of our finest moments of the summer… Closing Vespers.

This program is marked by the hand of generations past, made special by their simplicity and beauty. Noble character traits are celebrated and beauty is in every detail of the silent program. It begins with the girls quietly taking their places in the Pavilion for the last time. They wear the traditional “whites” and sit silently with their cabin groups (arm in arm, hands intertwined, eyes bright on the brink of tearing up). Now the departure becomes real… it is savored in a very “non-tech” manner. No video’s, no slide shows… words and candles. In an age of such technical sophistication, the simplicity of camp stands out.

Your girls are capable of enjoying silence. They don’t have to be “plugged in” all the time… in fact they flourish when given a break. Consider scheduling cell phone and TV free weekends… it is amazing what happens.

The Honor Council will lead the program tonight, giving speeches on Sincerity, Courage, Honesty, Kindness, and Truth. We will sing some songs and then go down to the lake (still in silence) and light our candles and launch them into the lake (floating on little wood planks) while led in song by the senior group who sits on the canoe dock.

The quiet of this time is profound… broken by the sound of genuine anguish— emotion that is hard to describe to “outsiders”. The bubble is a place unlike any other place in the world. Frankly, I think it approaches the reality of heaven. Heaven will be a place full of work (we are busy all day long here), where our needs are provided for in abundance (we do that here), a place of deep friendship (we certainly have that here), and real worship. Camp is wonderful… maybe I am biased, but I think it is the best place on earth.

Obviously I am running late today. These last days are full of work and visitors… all wonderful but hard to work into the 24 hours that are allotted. It is my desire to write something beautiful and profound at this moment… the situation demands it, but I can’t. The skill to convey the beauty of the moment is beyond me, so I just leave you with a word of thanks.

Thank you for sharing your girls. They have made this place perfect… I wish they could stay!

Jimboy