Life Long Friends

"Keep me from going to sleep too soon. Or if I go to sleep too soon, come wake me up. Come whistling up the road. Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door. Make me get out of bed and come and let you in and light a light. Tell me the Northern Lights are on and make me look. Or tell me clouds are doing something to the moon they never did before, and show me. See that I see. Talk to me 'til I'm half as wide awake as you and start to dress wondering why I ever went to bed at all. Tell me that waking is superb. Not only tell me but persuade me. You know I'm not too hard to persuade." Robert Francis

This has to be one of my favorite quotes and it pops into my mind throughout the year. After having spent the weekend with one of my dearest friends, meeting up with another for dinner, and with Thanksgiving around the corner, I couldn't help but think about how grateful I am for friends who are there to wake me up.

My most cherished friends have come from spending summers dressing up in costumes, sleeping under the stars, hiking through the forests, cooking over a fire and living together in the outdoors. They are people I met at Sanborn who share the same interests and dreams. Camp lays the ground work for creating lasting, meaningful relationships, provides the space for those friendships to grow and develop, and a foundation for them to last a life time. Whether you are a camper or staff member you are surrounded by people who believe in you, share a passion for being in the outdoors, encourage you, support you, and care for you as an individual.

At camp we climb mountains, hike, swim, tube down the river, horseback ride, go camping, do arts & crafts and make s'mores. What makes these trips, activities, and programs so amazing, rewarding and memorable are the people standing next to you when you reach the summit, hit the bullseye or sing a camp song with you at the top of your lungs. Camp is a place where you have the opportunity to learn the art of friendship. To some it comes so easily and for others, those friendship skills and problem solving skills have to be developed and encouraged by an adult who is willing to invest themselves in teaching these valuable life skills.

This past summer I received a phone call at what seemed like the middle of the night. The person on the other end did just what Robert Frost suggests one should. She woke me up, convinced me to get out of bed and wrap a blanket around myself, to step outside on a crisp August night to look up at the same sky she was gazing up at and stand in awe watching the Perseid Meteor Shower. My hope is that our campers and staff will find friendships here that are created throughout the summer and last a lifetime.