Portland, OR
Reflection.
I am minutes away from boarding the eastbound red-eye in Portland. My mind is racing at the different possibilities ahead.
Door number 1: I take the flight and proceed as planned.
-OR-
Door number 2: I don’t take the flight, but instead, I make my way south down the coast and eventually find myself back in Virginia.
As I write this reflection from my childhood home just outside of Richmond, some may say I took the easy option that would find me no different than when I left in early June. However, after this summer journey, life is nothing but different. As I’ve descended from the mountaintop, I’ve had some difficulty articulating my thoughts. This is partially because I’ve been going non-stop for the past ten weeks and my brain is fried, but it is also because I have no concept of integrating back into normal society. There are so many instances and routines and “normalcy’s” that just don’t make sense anymore. I’ve learned so much that I want to retain and there are so many memories that I never want to forget. I am beyond blessed to call so many more people family from coast to coast all over this beautiful country. As the journey took me to a new home each week, I spent the first few days not only developing new relationships, but also missing the new friends I made the week before. It was a constant cycle of joy and understanding. It will take some time to wake up from this dream, but I refuse to let it go. This summer has transformed my being and I now face the challenge of discernment as to how it can permanently change my life.
Video made last week by the 2011 DPF Interns. Music performed by our wonderful coordinator, Phoebe Spier! =)
New territory.
Michigan, for me, was new territory. Prior to last week, all I knew was that it is shaped like a mitten, Rob Bell is the pastor of a church there, and that I don’t want to go there in the winter. This journey took a new shape last week and redefined an unfamiliar land.
One of my goals this summer, and in life, is to create relationships that instantly feel like we’ve known each other forever. I’ve found that giving everyone high fives from the very start of each week is the way to go. It has been a matter of being enthusiastic (thanks to WV, I have an awesome new connotation to that word!), making myself vulnerable, and being intentional about starting conversations and getting to know people. I would like to think establishing this trust and developing these friendships has led to the opening up that has happened from week to week. In each camp community, a family is formed. I have been beyond amazed at the love and support that can blossom in just one week of interaction. It makes me wonder what can be created among a group of people over a longer period of time in our daily lives…if only we took the time.
My time in Michigan began with a new appreciation for it’s beautiful scenery as my new friend, Diana, and I traveled northward up the coast of Lake Michigan. By the end of the week, she was not the only one that I knew I would miss. As I got in the car to leave Saturday morning, there was a large group of new friends yelling ‘goodbyes’ and extending the hand symbol for ‘I love you’ that we used earlier in the week for family sharing time. I have never felt my tears be such a mixture of emotions. Thank you, Michigan, for teaching me more than you know.
