Incredible Beauty

It’s one of the most beautiful moments of camp. The setting is certainly beautiful with a bright, glowing campfire in the center and towering trees protecting us all around, with the sounds of crickets and peeping frogs, of falling water in the creek, and the soft singing of traditional camp songs. There’s the smell of woodsmoke, and the fading light of the evening turning everything from blue to grey. Of course, there’s also beauty in the people too— the clean red and white uniforms, freshly braided hair, and the shoulder-to-shoulder closeness as the whole camp attends.

There’s also an incredible beauty to the emotions of the moment, to the wonderful feeling of being together like this. Here is a special community of caring friends, of people who know each other deeply, having shared countless experiences and relaxed into mutual habits of kindness toward each other. We feel the bittersweetness of loving Rockbrook, yet knowing that our time together is coming to a close for this summer. There are tears and smiles, laughter and sadness, love and joy —all made more poignant as the evening unfolds.

There’s beauty in what’s said as well. After a camp session, gathering like this evokes heartfelt reflections on what camp has meant to each of us. We can’t help but share how we’ve found unexpected friendship, felt completely at home at camp, how we’re now certain we belong at Rockbrook, and how we ache to return to camp life and our camp friends the rest of the year. Camp has encouraged us, supported us when we weren’t sure, and allowed us to connect so profoundly with each other. Together, we’ve sung songs and forged memories we’ll always treasure. Reflecting back, we’ve found a marvelous spirit in it all.

It’s the Spirit Fire, the century-old tradition at Rockbrook where we gather around a campfire for a program of songs, camper and counselor speeches and a candlelight ceremony to mark the end of each session. Tonight’s Spirit fire was indeed beautiful in all these ways.

As each camper shared their memories and thoughts of the session, and as we sang together favorite traditional Rockbrook songs like “In the Heart of a Wooded Mountain,” there was an extraordinary intimacy to the setting. The beauty of the moment was undeniable, almost unbearably emotional, yet somehow perfectly suited to how we all felt after such an amazing camp session. We all realized that we were part of something special, something deep, enduring and important. When Sarah talked about being grateful, it made perfect sense.

We closed by lighting candles from the Spirit Fire. As small flames were passed from person to person, symbolizing how the spirit of Rockbrook is shared, we felt even more connected, both to each other and to something larger than ourselves. We stood lined up around the lake singing softly, the flickering candlelight reflecting off the water. We felt the abiding magic of this special place, of these very special people. It really was beautiful.

Thank you for a wonderful session. It’s been a pleasure beyond what we imagined, and a joy we’ll cherish. Until next summer, be well and grow in the spirit of Rockbrook.