Camp Mo-Val

 The emotions from just seeing those words stir up in me a sense of loss and absolute peace and joy that I didn't expect.  Camp Mo-Val.  It literally is a place of magic for me.  How the magic happened is a wonderful mystery.  I think about the most magical place, which is around the campfire.  Singing Father I adore you in a round.  Singing Lead Me Jesus in a round.  That was pure magic.  Singing at night time around the lake at night one summer holding candles as we went.  That was absolute magic.  

The memories are so many and yet they are bottled up in one big place in my heart that has only happiness and peaceful feelings.  It was both the individual people and the collection of people.  It was Pat Volertson who was able to welcome every single person and make them feel like you were part of the most awesome and loving movement on the planet.  It was the anticipation of that first walk to the swimming pool on the first afternoon of camp where you got to measure up your place in the collecting of campers for the week.  It was waiting in line at the check in tables and being recognized by a staff member, or at least recognizing some of the returning staff members if they didn't recognize you.  

The good memories rise straight to the top when I think of Camp Mo-Val, but there were hard times there too.  The time I was making fun of a kid name David and he slapped me in the face.  Good for him.  I had no right to join in making fun of him.  There were the lonely times when I was on staff when I felt like I didn't quite fit in with the other friend groups of the staff.  There was the time Katie Sperry got the hot soup spilled on her let.  And the time I got stung on the face by a wasp walking to the pool.  And the time I nearly stepped on a brood of copperheads, let alone the terror of walking through the grass fields in fear of encountering a snake.  

But there was the Kevin Zimmers who made me feel like I was unconditionally loved and could be comfortable and confident just being myself.  There was Mike Padorski who kept the conversation going with me into the night on those first nights we were roommates when I felt like an outsider since I didn't get in the cool room with Kevin, Kit, and Marc.  

There are so many memories.  So much of my time at Mo-Val I remember it like it was yesterday.  However, it makes me wonder if I have such memories of Susie and my marriage and my family that I have of Camp Mo-Val.  Have I been barely living these past 20 years that I have so few memories.  

I want to remember.  But I'm not yet sure I do remember much of the last 20 years.  It seems for much of it I have been a dead man walking.  It's time to wake up.  But I do want to reflect and see what I remember from these last 20 years.  That task will be for next time though.  

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