Dear Camp Greystone Staff of 2015,

What can I say? Y'all were some of the kindest, most inviting people I have ever met or worked with in my entire life. I came in during the last session of the summer, for only two weeks, and you let me become one of your own in almost no time. I cannot thank y'all enough for that. FINISH

Camp Greystone has always been a home for me, but as we all really know, a home isn't just a place, it's the people you're surrounded by. By being so welcoming to me when y'all were tired and already nine weeks into the summer, I realized that this place will always be home to me. As a lifetime camper, I knew camp would always be home to me, but I never knew that the reason camp would be home would be because of you guys. There is no one in the world I would rather spend my summers with than y'all.

As I write this article, we're on our 2015 Staff Winter Retreat, and seeing (almost) everyone again for the first time since August has been the best possible way to ring in the New Year. Arriving at camp, we were greeted with each other's warm smiles and unconditional love, just like we were during the summer. I forgot just how easy it was to set my phone on a table, and catch up with some of my closest friends, forgetting I even needed my phone. That is what makes y'all the absolute best group of people to be surrounded by.

Reminiscing about memories and campers from this past summer has been so much fun. Nothing brings a group of people closer than an 11-week-long shared experience (like this past summer). We were there for each other through it all, every hilarious camper line, every camper plagued by homesickness, and all the successes and triumphs that come with our amazing jobs.

Being camp counselors has taught us skills we will have for the rest of our lives, that will only make us better. We know how to diffuse tough situations, how to work with a big group of strangers, and just how quickly you can form a bond with someone. There is absolutely no better job in the world, and I can honestly say that I have the absolute best coworkers in the world.

Sometimes, our job is tough, but we have the best support system anyone could ever ask for: each other. Thank you for always having my back, and always being the most supportive and loving group of people I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Y'all rock.

"Love ya mean it"

~Lydia