In all things there is a beginning, a middle and an end. This summer has marked a whirlwind of activity in my life as I decided to return as a camp administrator at a summer camp in Maine for the second summer. To compare the two experiences would be difficult because there were different people involved and circumstances unique to each summer, but there are many lessons to be learned from each.

Now at the end of this experience it is almost like the activities of the summer were a dream. Last week was a wash of activity, with thousands of things that needed to be done and details to be ironed out. Each of these things took the concentration and creativity of much of the staff from a carnival to a prom, all of these things were

dreamed up, created and presented with flawless precision. Not to mention the logistics of sending all the kids home, cleaning up the camp and getting the staff out on their way home or on a traveling adventure.

After all of that in the last seven days, now it is just me and the whirlwind has slowed to a seeming crawl. Which seems like a stand still in comparison. Instead of making sure everyone is doing what they should and not what they shouldn’t I am simply cleaning up, and making sure all of the loose ends are being tied up.

Wandering through the camp, the mark that this year’s staff has made is unmistakable. Everything is put neatly away, and the camp, equipment wise is prepared for the oncoming winter.

There is an empty feeling though that pervades the place. As you think of the staff and their particular talents and personalities, I start to realize how much of an impact they have had on this camp and on me as an individual.

A summer camp in the end is just a piece of property with buildings on it. It’s personality comes from the people, both staff and campers who call it home during the summer. They bring a vitality and strength that allow for great memories and

for providing a great experience for themselves as well as for every person who is involved.  It doesn’t matter how large your role is, the experience of working at a summer camp will touch your soul and stay with you for ever.

Sometimes the job can be very intense and difficult, but those times fade for me as time goes by and I remember clearly, the people who made the experience so special. I fully believe that this is the last summer camp that I will be a part of because there is too much else to do and accomplish in life. However no matter what it is that life has in store for me I will be carrying the memory of each of the special people I have met here who have touched my life and made this experience so enjoyable.

Some may be aware of how much they mean to me and some may never know. But the fact is that each person has left a footprint on my life and I am grateful for it. I wish them all the best in each of their endeavors in life and that they will find true happiness at the end of it all.  Thank you MGTA staffs of the past two summers for making this a truly great experience that has added a great spice to my life.

“Every new beginning, comes from some other beginnings end.”