My first summer at Camp Don Lee, a Methodist overnight camp, was in 2008 and I've been back every year.
Whether I spent a week there or four weeks when my parents picked me up, I would talk for two hours straight, go through each day, all of the inside jokes, the craziness, the drama, and the learning experiences and then I would pass out for the rest of the ride home. I'm sure my parents were always thankful for that last hour or so of peace and quiet. This process was repeated for the next several weeks as I saw family members and friends who probably became fed up with my incessant talk of summer camp.
I love camp.
I love the atmosphere, the happiness, the activities, the kids, the parents, the community, the worship, and the lifelong memories. If you know me, then you know I talk about camp every chance I get but that is simply because I want to share the happiness camp brings me to others.
When I talk to people at school and tell them that I work at a summer camp, I immediately get the look of "Why would you want to do that?" or "Shouldn't you be doing something more important to your life?". But the truth is, Camp Don Lee is something important in my life.
When I think about when will be my last summer, I can't fathom the thought of never going back.You see, when you've attended camp for so long and it's had such an impact on who you are as a person, it's hard to let go of because it's a part of you now.
You know when you have a dog, cat, or any kind of pet, and you want to show everyone every picture of you have them because you love them THAT much? Yeah, it's a little like that. (I'm guilty of that by all accounts too.)
You will never be able to fully explain what summer camp means to you and you will never to be able to explain why you keep going back- and that's okay.
The memories you create as a camper or summer staff member are the memories you will hold close to your heart for a lifetime. No one will truly know how you felt in that moment except for you. You can try to explain it but you and I both know that you can't.
You can't explain the happiness that spreads throughout you when your camper tells you they finally sailed all by themselves and had fun or that they jumped off the high dive for the first time. You can't share the love that's in your heart when a camper makes that connection with God and opens up to you about it. You can't share the way you feel when you feel God's presence in the morning as you look out onto the water at the sailboats floating peacefully. You can't share the joy of two am picnic table chats with your best friends.
But you can share summer camp. You can promote and encourage your friends to work. You can encourage kids to go as campers and eventually, send your kids when you have them.
Attending summer camp is the best thing I have ever done. I wouldn't change a thing and I certainly am going to go back for as long as I can. I would not be the person I am today without my friends, co-workers, and previous camp counselors. I wouldn't have the relationship with Christ that I have today if it weren't for Camp Don Lee.
I would have never had a place that I felt I could truly be myself without fear of judgment. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to attend camp and that I am still able to make an impact as a counselor in the way that my counselors made an impact on me.
So, summer camp, thank you. To the friends and family that listen to my constant talk about camp, thank you. To everyone who has never been to camp, go if you can. It's the best thing you will do. And to everyone who wonders when I'll stop going, your guess is as good as mine.
