I feel a bit like a kid right now. The young adult chapter at church is taking off on our winter retreat tomorrow. In true amy fashion I finished my packing about 30 minutes ago. I am incapable of packing any sooner than the night before. It doesn't matter where I'm going or for how long. It's a sure bet that around 11 or midnight I'll finally drag my duffel from under my bed and start stuffing things inside :)
When I was in high school, retreats were the HIGHLIGHT of my existence. Oh I remember the weeks of anticipation once the dates were announced. My group would scream with joy every time it was mentioned. FINALLY it would be the week of retreat. I would do all my laundry like I was shipping off for boarding school instead of camping out for 3 days. I would start a camp pile that would inevitable be moved around as I realized I still needed my toothbrush.
Thursday night at church was the best night of the year. Everyone was crazy excited for the weekend. We were so hyper. Sometimes I wonder why our staff didn't go crazy but now that I've been on the other side of it I know they were just as excited although a little more exhausted since they had full time jobs to attend to instead of high school like the rest of us. Plus our energy was contagious.
The best feeling came at the end of the night when we said goodbye knowing that in 24 hours we would be at camp! It felt like the slumber party never had to end.
I'm not sure what kind of student I was on camp day. Probably a terrible one. I imagine I was way too distracted to be concerned with the variable x or diagramming participial phrases.
And then mom would drop me off, me dragging me fat duffel bag and my trash bag of sleeping stuff. I don't know why that was a camp tradition but everyone always stuffed their sleeping bag, pillows & towels in a trash bag. We tapped duck tape and wrote our names on the side to make them identifiable. Everything was thrown in a pile which was later added to to the "stuff truck" or in some years under the charter bus. My friends and I goofed around even more hyped up now that camp was finally here. People munched on french fries and sipped coca-cola from the fast food joints that nourished us that night. Once everyone arrived (and someone was always AT least 1/2 hour late) we would gather and pray over our weekend. Then we would hope in the cars/on the bus and be off.
I'm not in high school anymore. I don't have time to spend a week on laundry or to start a camp pile. But I've felt a bit of that joy and passion I used to have in high school returning. At worship night a few weeks ago it felt like a regular Thursday Nite. And tonight I got to re-experience the joy of knowing I will see my friends in less than 24 hours. This year I'm helping to lead a part of the retreat (a discussion on prayer). But I feel closer to my friends than I've felt in a long time and THAT is the best feeling of all :D
When I was in high school, retreats were the HIGHLIGHT of my existence. Oh I remember the weeks of anticipation once the dates were announced. My group would scream with joy every time it was mentioned. FINALLY it would be the week of retreat. I would do all my laundry like I was shipping off for boarding school instead of camping out for 3 days. I would start a camp pile that would inevitable be moved around as I realized I still needed my toothbrush.
Thursday night at church was the best night of the year. Everyone was crazy excited for the weekend. We were so hyper. Sometimes I wonder why our staff didn't go crazy but now that I've been on the other side of it I know they were just as excited although a little more exhausted since they had full time jobs to attend to instead of high school like the rest of us. Plus our energy was contagious.
The best feeling came at the end of the night when we said goodbye knowing that in 24 hours we would be at camp! It felt like the slumber party never had to end.
I'm not sure what kind of student I was on camp day. Probably a terrible one. I imagine I was way too distracted to be concerned with the variable x or diagramming participial phrases.
And then mom would drop me off, me dragging me fat duffel bag and my trash bag of sleeping stuff. I don't know why that was a camp tradition but everyone always stuffed their sleeping bag, pillows & towels in a trash bag. We tapped duck tape and wrote our names on the side to make them identifiable. Everything was thrown in a pile which was later added to to the "stuff truck" or in some years under the charter bus. My friends and I goofed around even more hyped up now that camp was finally here. People munched on french fries and sipped coca-cola from the fast food joints that nourished us that night. Once everyone arrived (and someone was always AT least 1/2 hour late) we would gather and pray over our weekend. Then we would hope in the cars/on the bus and be off.
I'm not in high school anymore. I don't have time to spend a week on laundry or to start a camp pile. But I've felt a bit of that joy and passion I used to have in high school returning. At worship night a few weeks ago it felt like a regular Thursday Nite. And tonight I got to re-experience the joy of knowing I will see my friends in less than 24 hours. This year I'm helping to lead a part of the retreat (a discussion on prayer). But I feel closer to my friends than I've felt in a long time and THAT is the best feeling of all :D
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