July 25 2024
I didn’t carry trunks this morning. For the first time in forty years, I was sidelined and put on the injured reserve (or permanently removed from the roster) for the “game”. Closing camp has always been a touchstone moment in my camp summer. At Main Camp, it was always experienced with pangs of sadness/nostalgia/gratitude/and joy… pangs that are uncomfortable to deal with… pangs that are relieved with hard work. So, I work as hard as everyone else. I might not have been able to surpass the productivity of the men staff (who run from cabin to cabin to grab the biggest trunk or duffle, then run to the road and throw it on the trailer… rinse, repeat). Still, I considered myself an inspiration (sweat drenching my button-down shirt, big smile on my face). I also took comfort in the distraction from uncomfortable emotions. Well, it turns out the inspiration was not necessary. We finished as quickly as ever, were as organized as ever, and as motivated as ever. It also turns out I was easily distracted by a less intense job.
Ellen Anne assigned Bill and me to the trash patrol. We were given “grabbers” and ten-gallon trash bags to fill. It was a delightful change of pace. A quiet walk with an old friend, competing to fill our bags first and chatting about everything. Camp is made for such moments, and I now appreciate the reason why both of my Grandfathers volunteered to serve on the maintenance crew after retiring. It is a great job!
The big rain storms predicted for this day will likely miss us, but we know it will be a rainy mess nonetheless. I hope you are wearing duck boots (or the equivalent); they are the only solution to the unavoidable discomfort of wet feet on a day like this. We hope you will enjoy some time walking around camp and meeting your daughter’s friends and counselors. It should be a sweet morning followed by a great reunion weekend. I hope that the girls will savor this time with a new appreciation of their blessings in The Lord.
A good camp session draws us closer to God. We might be sad (not a strong enough word… devastated might be better) when we close a chapter of the Greystone book, but we also joyfully anticipate what is yet to come. Reunions with family, vacations to squeeze in, a new class in school, a new team, a new project… so many good things that we now enter with a new sense of confidence. We look forward to calling our camp friends and talking in new circumstances. We look forward to reunion weekends in exotic places like Atlanta, California, Tennessee, or Arkansas. We anticipate unexpected airport reunions with Greystone Girls we haven’t met yet. We anticipate the joy of driving into camp on Opening Day next year. We remember: Wherever you might wander, whatever be your goal; keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole. The Donut is the good things that surround us no matter the circumstance. The Hole is what is missing from that otherwise good circumstance. Find the good… it is always there!
Greystone Girls (I know you are reading this… it’s one of the things you like to do at some point after leaving camp) please know that we miss you keenly. We will look at the moon reflecting its brilliance in the lake’s calm waters tonight and wish you were here to see it. We are just as exhausted as you. We are just as teary as you (it’s true that I probably cry more than any boy you have ever met… I’m proud of that fact!). We miss you and we love you dearly.
Greystone fans (a group that includes parents, alums, and friends), thank you for caring enough about camp to read a camp blog on a day such as this. Only a fan would read a camp blog when camp was over. That you exist is an encouragement beyond words. Thank You.
The end of Main Camp marks a transition in our year. While there are still two weeks of absolute Greystone delight ahead of us, it will not be the same. Young campers love camp differently than more mature campers. So we have fun, laugh a lot, and play like little children, experiencing camp in a whole new way. We love August Camp but are already anticipating next year with you Main Campers.
Soon, we will carefully consider what we have learned from this summer. We will lean upon your surveys, letters, phone calls, comments, and stories… we read them when you dropped them off in the boxes but with a little more time, we will better digest your thoughts and form action plans that will make camp better next year. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we take it seriously.
Thank you… we miss you.