Mon Aug 10th | 10:30 am - 2:00 pm
L-502 - Bus Notes and Goodbyes
Presented By
Yes! - A youth summer camp tradition!
Background (please read): Imagine yourself at age 10, taking a long bus-ride, or an airplane ride, to a summer camp, at an unfamiliar place, where you know absolutely NOBODY. Feel the excitment, the anticipation, the hope of making new friends, and also the fear!
Then imagine a week of wild, playful activities, exploration, good meals, games and learning, parties and music, while making new friends from far-away places: these are the experiences that give you the feeling of real belonging and contribution. These are feelings that everyone wants to carry and remember, for the rest of their lives.
Now imagine that week is over. You board that same old bus, or shuttle, headed home to the familiar, but perhaps ordinary life. You know that you may not see these friends again for a long time, and some of them, maybe never again. The feelings of sadness and loss want to creep into your heart and mind. You wish you had more than a few photos to remind you of that special time.
Ah! You remember that someone handed you an envelope, in some pretty color, with your name on it. You sit on that ride home, and you open that envelope. Inside you discover that many of the friends you made put something it in. A leaf, a flower, a sticker, or perhaps a short note, telling you how much you meant to them this summer. They tell you that they found a new friend in you. Something unique about you touched them, and they want to continue to be your firend. Maybe you even received a phone number or an address, so you can reach out to that person later.
The feelings I have experienced, after reading some bus notes, given to me, when I never thought I deserved them, have permananently changed my life. They prove to me that goodness lives in the world, and that some of that goodness flows through me, and that I am indeed loveable, and able to give love to others.
I keep years of those bus notes. They will never be discarded.
Please consider this, before the event, and during the event, so that you do not miss this chance to show real love to another brother or sister. We all share so much in common, and our journeys and challenges are worthy of sharing. They make the world a better place.
~Jonn
Background (please read): Imagine yourself at age 10, taking a long bus-ride, or an airplane ride, to a summer camp, at an unfamiliar place, where you know absolutely NOBODY. Feel the excitment, the anticipation, the hope of making new friends, and also the fear!
Then imagine a week of wild, playful activities, exploration, good meals, games and learning, parties and music, while making new friends from far-away places: these are the experiences that give you the feeling of real belonging and contribution. These are feelings that everyone wants to carry and remember, for the rest of their lives.
Now imagine that week is over. You board that same old bus, or shuttle, headed home to the familiar, but perhaps ordinary life. You know that you may not see these friends again for a long time, and some of them, maybe never again. The feelings of sadness and loss want to creep into your heart and mind. You wish you had more than a few photos to remind you of that special time.
Ah! You remember that someone handed you an envelope, in some pretty color, with your name on it. You sit on that ride home, and you open that envelope. Inside you discover that many of the friends you made put something it in. A leaf, a flower, a sticker, or perhaps a short note, telling you how much you meant to them this summer. They tell you that they found a new friend in you. Something unique about you touched them, and they want to continue to be your firend. Maybe you even received a phone number or an address, so you can reach out to that person later.
The feelings I have experienced, after reading some bus notes, given to me, when I never thought I deserved them, have permananently changed my life. They prove to me that goodness lives in the world, and that some of that goodness flows through me, and that I am indeed loveable, and able to give love to others.
I keep years of those bus notes. They will never be discarded.
Please consider this, before the event, and during the event, so that you do not miss this chance to show real love to another brother or sister. We all share so much in common, and our journeys and challenges are worthy of sharing. They make the world a better place.
~Jonn