I just cracked the seal on my kid’s trunk. Oy.
It contained (among other things): 6 carabiners, a harmonica, two CH hats, over a dozen letters from his Pop in Florida, a certificate honoring his bugling at camp this summer, filthy socks, and about a pound of sand. And the smell. I won’t complain. I’m just glad to have him home.
It’s a fierce thing – a summer at camp. These young Highlands men have been challenged in ways they may have never expected. Sure, they knew backpacking over 100 miles on Isle Royale would be difficult. They knew shooting a bullseye in archery would require lots of work. But they might not have known they were going to have someone in their cabin they didn’t really jive with. It’s not easy to co-habitat with a cabin full of kids all summer! Your boys have tried and succeeded at many activities, and failed at others. They’ve had highs and lows. It’s a lot like life in general.
I’ve been reflecting on MY summer at camp, and one unexpected discovery I made was the blessing of truly backing off of my kid. I want to be a “free-range” parent, but my inner control-freak sometimes gets the better of me. There’s a lot to be said about the many, many men (young and old) that teach and mentor my kid here at Highlands.
I didn’t have to hound the boy about setting goals and sticking to them. His ski instructors did that for me. I got to take the summer off from nagging him about picking up his towel. His counselor did that for me (or didn’t, who knows and ultimately, who cares!?). His dad didn’t have to say, “J, you don’t need to control every situation.” Kent Overbey was able to gently remind him that there might be a better way to make friends than bossing people around.
Let me tell you, time stopped when I heard my boy recite the “Worthwhile Man” prayer from memory last week. This Highlands thing. It’s sinking in! And last night at the final banquet, when the entire dining hall joined Andy in the prayer without prompting, I was overcome with emotion. Talk about magic!
Moms and dads, you should be very proud of yourselves. It’s also fierce to ship your kid off for a month (or more!). In this day and age of fear and shock, it’s often difficult to drum up trust in others. We know it. We appreciate it. We are honored you believe in the Highlands experience. Thank you parents, grand parents and everyone who supported these guys in their adventures at camp.
If we haven’t said it before, we LOVE these kids. We hope that they come home a little tanner, a little more unplugged, a little more polite, a little more capable, a little more dependable. We hope they’ll share their experiences of camp with you, and that they’ll talk a little bit more about what “I’m Third” means.
As one mother said to me in an email, “I was musing last night about talking to [my son] about choices he’ll be faced with in the coming years. It occurred to me that I could simply say, ‘If you wouldn’t feel good standing up at Sunday Assembly and telling the folks at Highlands about your choice, you might need to give it some more thought.’ I think that pretty well sums it up.”
We are so proud of these kids. You should be too. We’ll see you back next summer. Goodbye little cabin!
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.
Highlands Prayer
God, make of me a Worthwhile man.
Give me the strength to stand for right
When other folks have left the fight.
Give me the courage of the man who
knows
That if he will, he can.
Teach me to see
in every face
the good, the kind, and not the base.
Make me sincere in word and deed,
Blot out from me all shame and greed.
Help me to guard my troubled soul
By constant, active self control.
Clean up my thoughts,
My speech,
My play,
And keep me pure from day to day.
Oh make of me a worthwhile man.
(adapted by Mike Bachmann)
