Set Sail
Starting a journey is exciting… pulling out of the driveway for a road trip, boarding a plane for an exotic destination, or setting sail for an adventure on the high seas. All fill our hearts with great expectations. That is what camp feels like at this point of the session.
We have made our preparations (chose classes, gotten our bearings sufficient to navigate our way around, and settle into our cabins). Now the journey begins! Now we raise the mainsail and feel the boat take off with great momentum. FUN!
Last night everyone from the Bungalows to the Cabins performed on the big stage. They practiced their moves for two days, perfecting their presentations in a way that really astonishes. It was a fantastic show… great choreography, fun costumes, unexpected twists. Greystone Girls LOVE a show. It is part of what makes camp awesome!
I am an introvert and usually do my best to avoid attention. As a camper, at Falling Creek, I slowly learned to appreciate being seen. In my last year as a 15 year old camper, I was elected team captain and appointed to the Honor Council. That next school year, riding the wave of camp confidence, I ran for student body president and was elected in a landslide. To this day, the lessons of camp are paying dividends. Campers do not think of me as an introvert, they think of me as “Jimboy” (a minor celebrity who is very approachable). Camp was foundational to building social skills that might not have developed so well otherwise.
We see this happen every summer and it is one of the reasons that we love doing this work so much. At camp, all are accepted and many are celebrated for their unique personality traits. When the basis of our relationships with each other is kindness and love, it is amazing how the little things that separate us in “the real world” just fall away. Without the crutch/distraction/impediment of a phone in our hand, we make eye contact with a hundred different people in ten minutes. About half of them smile and the confidence that arises from these brief interactions lifts our spirits and fills our hearts with joy.
If you have never gone to camp, you will just have to imagine how wonderful this experience is and the impact that it can have. My great-grandfather first saw this impact when he ran a summer program for the children at his church in Augusta. He was so impressed with the way God blessed this simple program, he started Greystone… not to make money but to impact the Kingdom of Heaven. The growth is powerful and it is profoundly good. We are always grateful to see that camp still resonates. It is a lot more than just fun… it is like a delightful and adventure filled cruise!
The girls are entering into camp life with abandon and are already contributing to the community in significant ways. The cast of the June Camp play (Shrek) was announced at lunch yesterday (to huge screams of delight), the dining room singing is shockingly loud (it can be heard literally a mile away, echoing up the green river valley), and post-EP play time is delightfully varied (crazy dance parties, quiet conversations on the canoe dock, ping-pong, tether ball, jim ball, pickle ball, skee ball, etc.). The girls are the ones that are making camp awesome! They sense their power for good and this power spurs them to try new things and assume leadership in various settings. It is wonderful to see!
Tonight’s EP is “Protect your Counselor”, a super active (super fun) EP that challenges cabins to work together as a team to keep their counselor from getting bright colored powder on their clean white shirts. The girls LOVE it… a variation on a Color Run that is a lot of fun. We will give the girls lots of time to clean up afterwards then enjoy a great night’s sleep.
A few more details…
- THE EAGLES are becoming camp mascots. They can be seen on the River Trail every day and often provide a show for the observant during Flag and EP.
- The Arts Programs are great this year. I spent an hour in the Fine Arts Center going from class to class. Each one was amazing… the girls were engaged… the counselors teaching with skill and inspiration. Our arts program is second to none - you will be impressed with the quality of their projects!
- The Weather is GREAT overcast skies yesterday have been replaced with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. NO chance of rain today, little chance for the next several days. Temperatures in the low 80’s… perfect camp weather!
Thank you very much for providing this growth experience for your daughters. We know it is a big deal to spend so much money/time. To be away from the family. We saw your tears as you drove away on Monday morning- tears of happiness mixed with the deep emotions that only parents understand.
Your little girl is growing up and you know that when you see her again in a couple of weeks she will have changed and grown in many ways.
- Breakfast scrambled eggs, hash browns
- Lunch BBQ Chicken, French Fries
- Dinner Beef Stroganoff, Brussel Sprouts