During my youth I was fortunate to be able to attend summer camp at a beautiful lake up north. I attended this camp for many years as a camper, a counselor, a prep-cook, a dish washer, and swim instructor.  The experience of this special place runs deep in my veins. To this day the things I learned at camp influence my day to day decisions and general approach to life.  

First of all, camp instilled in me a deep love for the outdoors and an even deeper appreciation for the fact that nature had patterns and forces which must come from something bigger than humans. Camp solidified my belief in God.

So yes, this was a ‘”church” camp but not an “over the top religious” camp. We were working on belief from the inside out.  Introspection mixed with fun and duty filled the day. We were given a schedule which instilled in us that we are here to learn about this beautiful world God created. We learned that we are here to try new things and  always strive to become better as human beings. We learned to seek God’s truth, understanding, and enlightenment.  

We worked together doing kapers (chores) and learned that it feels good to do your part and feels rotten when you let someone down or have someone letting down the team. 

We learned to swim in very cold water.  We would tread for 45 minutes and be so uncomfortable.  Camp pushed us beyond our limits and helped give us a barometer for life.  Often I find myself thinking: “What I’m going through may be painful. But I’ve been through worse, like treading in cold water at camp”. While many people have been through more daunting challenges, this experience somehow developed tenacity in me. 

We learned at camp to watch the moon shimmering across the lake.  We would trek through the woods with only the moon lighting our way. We learned to tell a homesick kid that their parents were looking at the same moon and missing them too.  We learned to be kind and empathetic.

We learned to walk softly and listen to the wind in the trees and the stories the birds were telling us.  The trees were our guideposts and we learned more from their silence than we did when the wind broke their bows.  We learned to appreciate the dancing branches on the roofs of our tents, for they too told a story.  When the aspens quaked, the leaves would flip and turn white, portending storms.  We counted the time between the lightening  and the thunder as we drifted to sleep during evening storms.

We learned to make campfires and to watch the point where the fire sparks rise up to meet the sky.  The sky was beautiful at night, colorful  in the morning, teasing us with rain in the afternoon, and cooling us with light breezes in the evening.

A bell told us when to work and when to play, when to eat and when to lie down and listen to evening vespers.  Vespers helped us all sleep well, knowing that God had watched over our day and would be there during the night.  It gave us peace.

At camp we all learned to trust the earth and moon and sky and water that God had provided us that day.  These are timeless gifts, they work no matter where you are in the world, and no matter who you are.  They give all humans a common interest -one moon, one earth, we all share them, sometimes not equally, but we all appreciate the bird,  the tree, the wind, and the hope each new day brings.  The bell rings and its time for vespers.  Homesick people can look up at the sky and know their loved ones are watching too.

(lwr Oct 3, 2017)