here

I grew up loving the magic of driving up into these mountains and winding up the drive of this property. There’s a unique smell too that brings me instantly into childhood excitement, maybe the evergreens and rhododendrons swirling in the air? The way the paths have those same covered wooden lights to guide the way down the sidewalks and the gravel paths. Where even in the hottest part of summer, you could wake up in the mornings and feel the coolness in the air (at least to this girl raised in South Carolina, it felt cool in the mornings and evenings). It’s here where I learned, and later imparted to others, the important life skills cultivated in camp skits such as pulling a giant sweatshirt over your head but putting your legs through the arms of the sweatshirt instead of your arms and then walking around like legs with a head. It’s here, the summer I worked on staff, where I fell in love with sleeping outside as the camp sessions were so full there weren’t enough indoor bunks for us assistant counselors so we slept on the front porches of our cabins. It’s here as a little girl camper where I first experienced that I could connect to the Lord’s heart through Scripture as the words leapt off the page. I’ll never forget the moment I realized as I sat there doing my devotions like a dutiful, perfectionistic first born daughter, when I realized all of a sudden that God Himself was engaging with me and it wasn’t just something to check off the list. Even though I’m an adult and here with the band and we’re staying on the fancier retreat side of the property, part of me wonders in my heart of hearts if I’ll have to stand in front of everyone with them and sing “I’m a little teapot" if we’re late for a meal. And I don’t think I’d mind too much if I had to… or if I got to do it all again.