Routine Surprise Tradition
Camp is a place of routine, surprise, and tradition. Our routines are established from the first day: bells and bugles scheduled with the predictability of a Swiss rail train. Surprises are injected at those points where a break in the routine will be appreciated. And traditions that we roll out with virtually no changes despite their 100-year age. All three are a part of our experience this morning.
We remember last night’s EP with a feeling of peace and delight. It was a perfect party. Everything about this surprise Emerald City EP was over the top and purely delightful. The girls laughed so hard they cried, they cheered so loud they got hoarse and we all feel the glow of success from such a memory.
Today we savored a Sleep Late Friday to the sounds of a light rain falling on a tin roof. Just 1 hour of additional sleep marks this day as special… almost in the realm of a holiday. It is wonderful. The extra hour of sleep provides an avalanche of good feelings as we luxuriate in the change. Reid described the feeling beautifully it in today’s Morning Assembly devotion with the old Hebrew concept of Shalom. It fits.
There are a few details that should be included when describing the cozy feeling in camp this morning.
- Picnic Breakfast in the cabins.
- Cleanup is relaxed… because there is no inspection today!
- Noise is reduced… with no singing in the dining hall, no breakfast club, etc., camp is much more quiet.
- A Light Rain stopped about 10:15, but the cloud cover remained, dropping the temperature considerably. Rather than an 80-degree day, we are looking at a 75-degree day.
Tonight, we will enjoy our Opening Vespers program. This is a tradition that has remained the same for generations. We tell the story of love and light (the Linsey Woolsey story), recite our verses by cabin group, and light our candles. The beauty is profound and impacts us all. Opening Vespers is counter-intuitive (would you have thought such a program for a teenager?), but it is very special to the campers (who consistently rank it as a favorite summer event). It is a cherished tradition, and the girls look forward to it. It will be the perfect “chill” ending to our Shalom Sleep Late Day!
A few details:
- Emerald City EP was a huge hit. A highlight was the bellyflop competition at the end of the night. The crowd even convinced some camp celebrities to make a jump!
- Breakfast Frittata, Bacon, Fruit, Cereal, Milk AND CHOCOLATE MILK… picnic in our cabins.
- Lunch Shaved Roast Beef Sandwiches, a cookie of some sort.
- Dinner Chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole.
- EP Opening Vespers
- Weather Overcast, 77 degrees
Thank you for checking in.