“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” –L.M. Montgomery
The New England chill has settled in the air today and the camp office is SO very quiet. It’s hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago we were in the throes of a hot summer afternoon with 450 campers and counselors laughing, splashing, building, climbing, singing, and playing in a campus-wide bustle of activity. It was like we blinked, and it was over.
And don’t we always have that same feeling about our children?
Blink, they’re walking into 1st grade.
Blink, they’re riding a two-wheeler.
Blink, they’re driving a car.
Yet each time we blink there’s an opportunity; a moment for reflection arises. With it comes a certain clarity of vision to see the aggregate of our experience, and we get the aching sense of how much our kids have grown and changed. This is the place where memories live, and those of us with kids at Summer Fenn know how powerful camp memories are.
When a song comes on the radio, my boys will laugh and say, “MOM! Remember when the Seniors did this for lip sync?” or “Ohmigod, this totally makes me think of that dance party we did at lunch- remember that?” When we drive by the Fenn campus they comment on how they miss seeing the canopies, and strain to look and see if the zip line is still up. They have catch phrases, handshakes, random facts about spiders, all things they remember from just a few weeks at camp- it’s remarkable.
I absolutely believe that it’s the fully present experience of camp that makes the memories more vivid, more transporting each time they arise. It’s the immersion in play, the unplugged interaction with people, the focus of an interesting, challenging project… the ability to be in the moment that makes camp so uniquely memorable.
I think about this a lot- about what our campers will remember. How will we continue to foster the connections that keep us healthy? How can kids at every age participate fully in their own curiosity, autonomy and self-expression? How can every summer become part of a happy childhood? We promise to spend the next several months being intentional about the amazing experiences that will become cherished memories.
So that when we blink, “Nothing is ever really lost…”
Posted by maggie on Thursday September, 29, 2016