Another year, even more memories!

Another year at MDA Camp has come to an end and more memories were made. This year was somewhat of an emotional year because MDA Corporate has revised the cutoff age for campers from 21 to 17 years of age. Because of this restriction, we have 7 kids who will no longer be able to attend camp after this year. Two of them were already 21 but 5 others had their time cut a little short. And because we have such a small number of campers attending, it is likely that we will not return to Brandon Springs which is the location that I have attended camp for the past 17 years.

I have a little ritual at camp that began about 8 years ago when I first went to camp as a staff member. I wake up around 6:00am, head down to the cafeteria, fix myself a cup of coffee, and then I sit on the porch outside of the cafeteria that overlooks the lake. The sun rises above this lake and it is absolutely breathtaking! The bonus is that there are only 2 other people awake that early and the campsite is so quiet. This is a rarity at our camp! So this year, knowing it may be my last at Brandon Springs, I took each morning to reflect on all the memories I've experienced over the past 17 years. I have met so many people - many I am still friends with and love unconditionally. I've loved and lost a lot of friends. And I've laughed with them all. This year, we made new memories. And next year, regardless of where we'll be, we'll make some more.

So until next year, here's a link to my memories from this year. Enjoy!

MDA Camp 2008