We had the great pleasure of attending family camp last weekend at the camp that my husband was a camper at in his youth. A beautiful camp, terrific speaker, and good people made for a wonderful weekend away with the kids.
The kids had a blast exploring nature, going on a hike, and getting dropped off for their respective classes. Of course it was the three year old who really took it in and didn't want to leave. We were getting ready to pack up to go home and she asked if we could stay at Forest Home forever. Oh how familiar these words were, taking me back to the days of my youth when I couldn't make enough tears to express my sadness at having to get back on the boat and head for home. Yes, camp is a special place and has more significance in our home than I could possibly express. So when I heard my daughter ask to stay at camp longer my response was, "I'm sure this isn't the last we have seen of Forest Home." It brought me joy to see that my daughter already "gets" that there is something magical about camp although she has no idea.
I fully intend to encourage my children to have the camp experience. My hope is that they love it as much as I do and it molds and shapes them as much as I. That they too will build friendships for a lifetime and become better people because of the people they meet and their experiences away from home on some secluded parcel of land where one can retreat to find the fullness of God's love.
It was just one weekend, but the seed has been planted.
