I have now been at Camp Cross for about 7 hours today, adding another day to my life’s extended stay of over a year here. Even if that seems like a small number in big terms (I’m 25, have lived in multiple houses, at college, and on my own for many more years), this place has always felt like home in such a unique and life-affirming manner.
I am very excited to serve this summer as the program director. I have all these ideas and understandings of the potential experiences this summer, but so much is completely unwritten, and I know that even the things I’m sure will happen, will still surprise, excite, and challenge me.
This is going to be a great summer, a great experience, particularly because it will be a different experience, not only due to the people but also because of time spent away.
I feel like the old adage of “you can’t go home again” refers to the changes that occur both in your own life and at home, changes that create unrecognizable people and places. But I argue that this is precisely why you should go home again, because it is exciting to share your growth with each other. If we all stayed away, we’d never remember the people and places that helped shape us into who we are today. Furthermore, we’d miss the opportunity to influence those people and places we’ve left with the new life-lessons we’ve picked up along the way.
I look forward to sharing observances on this summer with you. From tales about (anonymous of course) campers, counselors, staff, and volunteers to musings on God’s creation, I invite you to join in on this journey with appropriate comments and your own camp stories.
Here’s to Camp Cross 2012!
the road 