Soon we'll pack up the boats and close up the lakefront for cold weather. We'll load the horses into the trailer and send them back to the boarding stable. We will clean up and close up the gym snack shop. A cold wind will blow over the campground and a heavy fog will settle while we remain suspended in time and space like Brigadoon only to reappear on weekends for retreats…
…okay, so maybe I'm overstating things. But it is really such a different place after the official "summer" ends. Soon we'll be busy with school camps and private retreats, and we'll be working on maintenance to spruce up the facilities.
This particular summer exodus takes some of our full-time staff with it. It's hard when you realize you've come to the End of an Era. I remember when I worked at Camp Joy during my high school and college years. At the end of those five glorious years, I began to realize I needed to get a job to pay for school. I thought then that I would never return to the CJ summer staff.
But God had a better plan for me! Now I enjoy being a part of the Full-Time CJ staff, and I've got my fingers in way more than I ever thought I would. The care-free days of before are gone and there's a new Era to behold. That sun has set and a new day breaks at Camp Joy!
