I love the flowers…

Camp Piasa has been a part of my life since the 1970’s when I went there as a camper for the first time.  I spent five years as a lifeguard and junior counselor and eight years as a counselor with our family.  Many of my favorite memories in life are from camp.  One year as a camper, I was blessed to go up early and spend the day before camp started, with the Al Schnack family.  They took me to dinner at the Finn Inn in Grafton, IL, the town nearest camp.  I was so excited to eat there and be with them.  If it wasn’t for their family, I wouldn’t have been able to be at camp that week to due timing.  I am forever grateful for their generosity, not only as volunteer directors, but to me.

The Junior Counselor (JC) family was where I loved life most as a teen.  You lived each day to inspire the campers to have fun, play hard, study Gods word, swim, make friends, drink Cherry Coke, eat Heath bars (not health bars) and only think…about sleep.  We did this all in the beauty of God’s creation of nature.  Fresh air, singing in the morning, singing all day ling, at night and with family…what could be better than that?

Eight years ago I went back to camp with my own family.  John and I were counselors for the fifth grade boys unit.  Connor was a fifth grader.  Calvin and Claire were considered “camp brats”.  Brats lived the life of luxury at camp.  They did what they liked and had access to the walk in cooler filled with treats anytime they liked, or when mom or dad said so.  The past four years Callie & Carter came into our lives and loved jumping right into the role of “brats”.  Steve and Mark Harrison were JC’s when I was a camper and had now taken the honor of directors with their families.  The love that is built at camp is magical.  If you were fortunate enough to be a camper you may understand this.  It starts from youth and grows into a part of your life.

Everyone is family at camp.  We were first week counselors with Uncle Steve and Aunt Kim. You can see the passion directors have for camp.  Uncle Steve’s jokes kept us all smiling for years.  Uncle Scott and Aunt Stacey, Uncle Mike and Aunt Amy, have now taken the reigns as directors and love camp as we all do.

John and I always had the unit with first time camper boys.  Our first year, John was asking me what had I gotten him into, with camp and no sleep…John was diligent in watching over the boys.  He loved being the wiffle ball coach during the day and night watchman for Unit 1.  Our job was to keep spirits up, ensure the homesick that they would be okay, help organize activities and a night of devotion.  Occasionally a camper joined our family in our cabin, when the nights got too long away from their parents.  Our unit always did a skit for our devotion.  We went all out with props and characters.  The boys groaned each day as we practiced during the afternoon, but were thankful as we shared it with camp by weeks end.  My favorite, was the year we gave the boys squirt guns that they secretly held in their pockets, for when it “rained” on the audience.  Each night the campers joined in sing-ing and dancing on the tables.  This was always my favorite part of camp.  The songs have not changed much over the years, and I enjoyed them as much as I did 39 years ago as a first time camper.

This year has been hard.  This week is even harder as we are not at camp and are without Connor.  Next week, Claire and Calvin will go to camp for the first time without their family or their brother.  They will be at Camp Ouatoga this year, the main camp where I was a camper and JC.  This will be new for them and that is good.  The memories at camp are all with family.  I know that their camp family will take good care of them.  I know that Connor will be there in spirit and our Heavenly Father will watch over them.  If you are going to camp next week with them, please sing loudly, smile, dance, be kind, encourage others, pray and be thankful that you are chosen to shine and a part of  all these wonderful things!

Keep Sing-ing!  MamaC