Resilience

Some of you “get camp” either because you went to camp or have some personal connection to what camp does. But many of you are just trusting that this is a good thing for your girl and hope that she has fun. I think you need to know that we are convinced that camp is much more than fun.

Before I get into the meat of the matter I wanted to let you know that we are now posting the Morning Assembly Devotions on the website. You will LOVE hearing the devotions and sermons of our resident minister Simon Stokes (a college minister at UNC-CH) in real time. Check it out! He is really great! Overall theme is the Fruit of the Spirit.

So now on to the subject of Resilience (the ability to bounce back when something difficult happens in life). Resilience is like a muscle that must be developed from adversity, it doesn’t grow if we are never uncomfortable. While camp is fun, it also provides moments to exercise our resilience muscles. These first days of adjusting to camp life will provide lots of exercise for this important muscle.

We are all adjusting to our new environment at camp. The bugles and bells are not yet a part of our “comfort zone” and can sometimes be surprising (especially reveille at 7:30 in the morning!). The lack of computers and the abundance of people is a bit overwhelming… as is the quiet (most of us do not have quiet times built into our days). All these things, and more, take time to become comfortable. Now is the adjustment time of camp and there might be some uncomfortable moments: these are moments that develop our resilience muscles and we welcome it.

This is not to say the adjustment is hard. It is actually quite wonderful! We are all being carried along in a wave of enthusiasm. The dining hall is “rockin”. The classes are “hoppin”. The cabins are “poppin”. It is fun, but it also takes time for some of us (campers and counselors alike) to get fully connected to our new circumstances.

Thus it is possible that you will get a sad letter. Prepare your heart to read such a letter with the confidence that such feelings are normal in the first week of camp. Quiet times as a wonderful but they can be a difficult time of the camp day. It is possible (perhaps likely) that you will get a glimpse of homesickness in a letter. When you read it think of the circumstance that led to the writing.

As the girls lie on their bunk for rest hour, they have time to think. Their thoughts will turn to you and they might think of all the comfortable things that they are missing. They might think of those familiar smells or familiar faces and their heart feels the absence. Processing this feelings with a heart-felt letter that pours out emotion with a run-on torrent of sad words is an effective coping skill. It is a way to make themselves feel better, but it transfers the burden to your shoulders!

Such letters are precious. Margaret and I used to get them from our children and we treasure them to this day. We knew to expect this kind of letter and when they arrived, we did not worry very much. I wrote my parents the same kind of letters 40 years ago.

Adjusting to camp is a very positive life skill. It builds character, confidence, and gives a great sense of accomplishment. It builds resilience. We encourage the girls to adjust to camp in a healthy way, and camp builds those skills. The counselors, the group leaders, and even other campers help in this process. It is a process founded in love and in building a positive attitude toward all of the hard things that life presents. Almost every camper builds these skills in a healthy way and we see such growth as a very normal and good aspect of their camp experience. Some (a very small number…) need speclal help.

If your camper not adjusting in a healthy way, we will immediately call you. We will give you a “heads up” and seek your input and guidance. Your insights will be integrated into our plan to help. It is rare that a camper truly has an unhealthy adjustment to camp and it is extreemly rare that a camper actually leaves early due to homesickness. One or two in a summer is about average (out of 1,850 campers!!!). We are very good at building confidence out of adversity… at developing resilience.

So… steel yourselves. If you are worried, email or call your girl’s group leader and we will get you a full report. But also feel free to trust us to take care of everything. We are on the same page as you: wanting to provide the best life experience possible. We want to make this a summer to remember, something that God uses for Glory! We are in this together and it is going to be an amazing ride.

Thank you very much for reading and for caring. It is a Great Day at Greystone.