Banquet

Today is banquet day. A day of great joy. The best day of the session in many ways. Campers and Counselors alike experience it with the same sense of expectation, satisfaction, and gratitude. It is a day of hugs and tears as we finally realize how precious each minute actually is. Many know that this will be their last year of camp (Margaret only came to June Camp… most girls do not make the jump to Main Camp) those girls feel a sensy of nostalgia for a time of life passing.

It is a perfect moment to savor and the the perfect day to throw a huge Banquet.

“Banquet” is an evocative and exotic word to a camper (most of whom have never attended an real “banquet” before). There has been a wonderful build up as the girls try to guess the theme. By the end of the day they are literally giddy with excitement. Their joyous run to the decorated dining hall provides some of my favorite photographs of the summer! It is a mountaintop moment for every camper and every counselor. All of us share a profound sense of accomplishment and the day is going to fly by!

We have already enjoyed our last Breakfast Club (The Frog and the Scorpion), our last Morning Assembly (the Ten Lepers), and are enjoying our last classes (1st to 4th period). Moments slip by in a blur as we soak up another perfect camp day. A perfect ending to a perfect session.

This afternoon we will get scrubbed and shampooed during rest hour (everyone is a little “grey”) then enjoy a really fun assembly where we watch some of the video’s Leland has made during this session, sing some songs, dance a little, and go through lost and found while the counselors change into their costumes for banquet (the theme is revealed at Flag then we watch the show in the Pavilion).

After the play, we have our pictures taken, then run down the road to take our places in the giant hall. Each camper and counselor will have a place prepared (just like heaven!) and we will feast with camp friends one last time. Afterwards we give out Banquet awards (a huge honor) and finish the night with our last cabin devotions.

In years past we considered not making such a big deal of banquet (the preparations take an entire session and add a lot of pressure to the counselors) but always decide it is worth the effort. Campers and counselors alike LOVE the process. So we embrace the challenges of this day with delight!

Council Fire and Closing Vespers were wonderful last night. The Council Fire talk was on Kindness and Unselfishness. The vespers portion of the evening was lovely… the light slowly spread arounding the circle as everyone lit their candles. The brilliance of so many candles was amazing to see… an image the girls will long remember. We link the light of the candle with the light of God’s love… it was beautiful.

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. Most parents arrive before 9:30 (we suggest you get here no earlier than 8:00 in order to give us time to bring the bags to the track and have everything organized). This year we are offering a light buffet breakfast, the campers will have enjoyed a little bite but our experience is that they are always happy to eat more! You might also want to get a tour (campers make the best tour guides!). Walking around camp is a great way to hear some stories about camp… but often the girls most want to get in the car and go to Chic-Fil-A! That is great too!

We encourage a quiet ride at first. Turn off the cell phone and the radio, giving all your attention to the conversations that will naturally occur at that first meeting. It is a wonderful transition out of the “bubble” and you will be amazed at how many silly moments have become important in ways that might be hard to understand.

We are honored to have had your girls at Greystone and hope that this summer will bear fruit for years to come. Thank you for reading the blog. It has been a pleasure.