Banquet Day

Today is banquet day. A day of great joy at camp, one that is sweet in a way that is quite special. In my normal work year I experience each and every banquet day with similar feelings to the campers. Feelings of deep satisfaction, appreciation, and gratitude. It is a day of long hugs and occasional tears as we anticipate our departure tomorrow. This is particularly true for the staff that will leave camp tomorrow. They arrived in May and many are going straight back to school… summer camp represents a major commitment of time and emotional energy… and with such effort comes great emotional rewards that are hard to describe. So we savor the time we have left and will put an exclamation point on the summer with a huge Banquet tonight.

“Banquet” is a wonderful word! An evocative and exotic word to a camper (most of whom have never attended an actual “banquet”) and counselor alike. It is the single most anticipated EP of the summer. We talk about it from the first day and spend all day preparing the Dining Hall and practicing the “play” that kicks the whole thing off after Flag. Campers consistantly rank the Banquet as their favorite EP of the summer, so anticipation is running high. Of course the reason for the success of the program has less to do with the funny skit than the fact that this is our last night at camp. It is a mountaintop moment of thrilling success for everyone. Such moments deserve to be celebrated!

Today we enjoyed our last Breakfast Club (The Frog and the Scorpion), our last Morning Assembly (Luke 17, the Ten Lepers), and our last classes (1st to 4th period). These closing messages put the “spin” that we want the girls to remember from their time at camp. As I said in an earlier post, camp is much more than “fun”… life lessons learned here (in both fun and difficult circumstances) pay dividends for a lifetime.

It is overcast and a very comfortable 80 degrees, a chance of evening thunderstorms. This afternoon we will take long hot showers during rest hour (everyone is a little “grey”) then have a really fun assembly where we watch some of the video’s Leland has made during this session, see a great slide show, go through lost and found, and tie up a few details while the counselors get changed into their costumes for banquet.

The dining hall has been completely broken down and will be reassembled into 8 HUGE tables with extravagant decorations and table settings to set the mood. We will run down the road in cabin groups (the pictures are amazing) then take our places that have been reserved. Each camper and counselor has a place prepared (just like heaven!) and will feast with their cabin friends one last time. Afterwards we give out Banquet awards (a huge honor to be mentioned for these highest honors in the departments) and then have a last tuck in at the cabin.

Council Fire and Closing Vespers were wonderful last night. The girls were absolutely silent as we gathered around the flag pole in the dark. The light slowly spread around the circle as the counselors lit their candles, then quickly as the campers lit theirs. The brilliance of so many candles was amazing to see… and image that we hope the girls will remember. We link the light of the candle with the light of God’s love… it is beautiful and resonates in a powerful way.

Your girls continue to delight and amaze us with their great attitudes! Don’t be surprised if they don’t appear really grown up to you tomorrow. We hope that you will note how genuinely thankful they are for all the little things you do for them. We hope they will be genuinely helpful in all the little tasks that make a house a home. They are wonderful girls and have made this a wonderful camp.

Most parents arrive before 9:00 (the gates open at 7:30 but if you can give us till 8:00 we will have your bags at the track and everything should be well organized). Give us a call if you are going to be late, the campers expect you and get nervous if you are not here! You will go straight to the cabin after parking (who can wait another minute?) and we will help you get your car loaded when you are ready. Feel free to take a tour with your daughter, hearing the stories of camp as you walk… but usually the girls just most want to get in the car and go to McDonalds!

We encourage you to turn off your cell phone and enjoy the conversation that will naturally unfold on your drive home. It is a wonderful transition out of the “bubble” of camp and you will be amazed at how many silly moments have become important in ways that might be hard to understand. Don’t underestimate the growth that has occurred in the past three weeks.

Camp is great. We are honored to have been a part of your family and hope that this summer will bear fruit for years to come. It has been a pleasure.

Thank you very much for sharing your girls. It has been a pleasure to serve you and we hope that Greystone will work into your plans for next summer.

It is hard to believe that our 98th summer is drawing to an end. I have been writing daily blogs for almost three months… it has become a much loved part of my daily routine. I will miss the connection, but also look forward to the change of seasons. My thoughts are drawn to our 99th summer with dozens of details filling my heart with the confident expectation of providing an even better camp next year. This is the best job in the world. This place is heavenly but it is the people (camper and counselor alike) that inspire joy and provide the experience that we love. Thank you for making Greystone possible.

Safe Travels, and may God richly bless you in the years to come.

Jimboy