We’re back from Family Camp at Camp Trillium. It was the parents’ turn to experience the wonder found there! At Family Camp, unlike Res camp, all activities are optional – families can participate to the degree they wish. The activities that are planned provide both the opportunity to laugh and, more importantly, to connect with others through fun. Sharing in the fun paves the way to communicating feelings and experiences that result from our exceptional health-care journeys.
I feel that lasting friendships develop between people with common interests and/or experiences and it takes time for the bonds to form. Our Family Camp experiences have modified my understanding, so I now feel that the amount of time required to develop a lasting friendship depends on how significant is the interest or experience. The deeper the significance, the less time required to create a meaningful bond. I have developed lasting friendships with people after one session of camp.
A frequently acknowledged fact of Camp is that we all feel free to share our fears and concerns about our crazy journeys, with each other. We spend most of our time laughing or playing games but there is also a space within which we have the freedom to discuss the specific challenges that go along with the journeys. This freedom prompts a typical topic of conversation: our difficulty explaining to our friends and family what it feels like to be on this kind of crazy journey. Some time ago, a dear friend of mine asked me why she didn’t know about a particular, troubling situation Cailyn was in. I simply responded that no one really wants to talk about this kind of stuff over coffee or a glass of wine. Talking about fears and concerns makes for poor conversation. So… we strive to stick to safe topics… even if the people we are with are truly dear to us. The fact that these are also the people that we’d like to have understand us the best, is just one of life’s mysteries.
I am thankful for our time at camp. I am thankful for the memories created there with Camp friends, new and old. I continue to be inspired by the amazing counsellors and camp staff who make camp possible and special for all the families.
I’ll finish off with the end of the camp-fire song… “May you dream of love, peace and hope, and may all of your dreams come true!”