Traditionally I have walked lazily down to the office after all of the campers have left for home, to write my final email of the summer and say my temporary good-bye until the next summer. But this year is different and to be honest I’m just not ready to let go. It has been an incredible summer and one that I will carry with me forever. Over the past few days we have all had a chance to look back on our time together and all have spoken of the power and the transformation that has taken place. We created something special and each and every one of your boys played a role. Like any other year, the sudden emptiness after campers leave is jarring and even with a day off in front of them, many staff have a hard time pulling themselves off the Trading Post with the realization that summer has really ended. Without a doubt we are exhausted and I personally will spend the next two hours napping before we all gather for dinner, but that exhaustion comes from knowing that we gave ourselves fully and are exceptionally proud of what we’ve accomplished. Over the next few days we will shrink as several counselors head home to begin school or start new careers and come Monday morning, there will be only a few of us left to close the few doors and hang the locks. Most of the counselors will spend the day writing Camper Letters and cleaning cabins, while many other meet with new Timberlake Director Tulio to chat about 2009. I will be pulling the final pieces together of this summer and then preparing to hand things off to Tulio on Tuesday, when I officially head on down Route 4.
Last night was Banquet and with the chosen them of “Armageddon”, it was entertaining to say the least…but I will allow your boys to tell their own stories. But I will tell you that after all of the “mutant attacks” had ended and we stuffed ourselves with an amazing 4-Course meal it was time to gather for songs, Give-A-Ways, Rating presentations and giving of the TL Bead. It was a late night as we moved closer and closer to 10 pm, but the out-pouring of emotion, giving and love was so strong that it kept us going as the night wore on. After the final bead had been given, we silently stood and filed through the front door, where each member of the community received a candle and proceed to the Catamount Bell Clearing. In single file we walked quietly from the lodge, with our candles guiding us down the dark trails. When we all reached the bell, we formed a large circle and in one of the most powerful moments of the summer, shared our appreciation and thanks to Timberlake. Even though we were clearly a community in need of sleep, no one wanted to be the first to give a final hug and head back to their cabins.
THANK YOU for sharing your incredible children with Timberlake. Please hold them tight when you see them and let them know that we are thinking of them in their absence…and maybe just for fun, ask them what they get when “they cross a brown chicken with a brown cow.”