people I know

Lat summer, I was working in Richmond, Virginia with a Christian non-profit named CHAT (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring). The way the summer internship works is that ever intern lives in the home of one of the families who has moved in to pursue urban ministry in Church Hill. There is one family who not only hosted an intern for the summer, but also hosted all the interns in their home more than once for meals or hang outs. I can't remember how we found out, but, at some point, I figured out that the dad had grown up coming to Ontario Pioneer Camp and that one of the boys was going to be at camp that summer. The best part of this story is that all the kids are here this week at camp! The two boys are at Adventure Camp and their daughter is at Girls' Camp as well as the daughter of one of the other CHAT staff who was my caregiver last summer. Seeing their whole family on Saturday and getting so many warm, Southern hugs felt like getting to see a little piece of home. Given that the boys are both at Adventure Camp, I see them all the time! I get to eat meals with them, hang out with them at the playground, and I am planning to take them to go see the chickens one afternoon this week. It's so fun to have people I know from home be at camp.

I also talked with two different people who remember working with my mother when she was at camp. It's incredible to me the connections and lasting memories that people create here. Every week, I feel like I meet some older staff who tell stories about running into their old campers. Then I have conversations with staff who remember my mom working here in the 80s. Then one of the young LITs who was here at AC for her observation day hears my name and says, "Oh, Rogue. You were my leader!" (The best part is that I actually remember this one!) It makes camp feel like this big, never-ending, multi-generational family.

I've been singing a lot. Yes, I do sing in theme for program from time to time, but mostly, I've just been singing as I walk places or wherever I'm sitting. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it must be good. I used to sing a lot when I was younger, but I stopped singing at some point. It feels good to hear the melodies I make.