Candlelight Campfire - Thank You Main Campers!
What a month!
Parents, if you’re reading the blog this morning, you’re likely on your way to pick up - or already have - your boys from a whirlwind month at camp! We hope you have safe travels to and from the mountain today - in the meantime, here are some highlights from Thursday, the final day of Main Camp!
Thursday started with regular activities, in the morning, a packing time during an extended rest hour, and a lost & found “fashion show” after lunch where boys could see counselors modeling unclaimed items, and reunite with their lost clothing and gear.
In the afternoon, we got to play one more All-Camp-Game!
During Free Choice time before dinner, boys were able to help cook (and eat!) Longenecker Lumps, which are warm, fried, doughnut balls covered in cinnamon sugar. Alumni will be familiar with this tasty tradition, but if you want to learn the history (or the recipe!) you can read this blog.
For Evening Program, we went on an Ebenezer Walk, to wind down and reflect on the session, while finding a rock to add to the Ebenezer Wall leading to Campfire.
Every Ebenezer rock has been placed by a single person during their final Campfire, and serves as a physical reminder for each camper and staff member of the contributions, memories, and experiences they have had during the session. This meandering stone wall reminds us, too, of the spirits of all those who have been part of the Falling Creek Camp community – past and present.
For Closing Campfire, we continued our theme of Gratitude from the final week. Our hope at Falling Creek is that each of us makes practicing gratitude a daily habit. Practicing gratitude produces an awareness of the great things around us, and “being grateful for God’s blessings” is one of the tenets of Positive Attitude in the Falling Creek Code. There is certainly much to be thankful for at camp, and in these young men.
During Campfire, we enjoyed skits, songs, and finally the candle lighting ceremony. The first candle is lit from the central campfire, and spreads from there, person to person. Each boy lights his candle from another, symbolizing the individual light we hold, and how it costs us nothing to share our light with others.
Once all the candles are lit, we walk out to encircle the landsports field, everyone’s individual light creating an unbroken circle. It’s a beautiful sight, and an evening that many campers and staff think back on fondly. To finish, we sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” followed by the first verse of Taps.
We are so thankful for the individual light that each of these boys brought to this session, and are grateful that you chose to share your sons with us for this past month. As the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” says, “When you leave tonight by the fire’s light, please leave your spirit here. And we’ll let the trees, and all memories, guard them all till we’re back next year.”
