I missed blogging! I haven't been able to do so in the past month because... well, for several reasons. It's kind of what I wanted to share with you all.
On to the main event...
From August 7th to the 16th, I was upstate in Camp Berkshire, camp grounds owned by the church conference I belong to. Every year, Hispanic Camp Meeting is a week-long event many youth and adults look forward to. I've now been staff for two Hispanic Camp Meetings and this year was better than the last! My father was excited for me to leave too because he said that so far, I'd just been in and out of school, work, and church. I hadn't really enjoyed my summer yet. I got the beginning of my summer enjoyment at Berkshire. I left to Berkshire Friday afternoon and got there roughly two and a half hours later. I saw friends I hadn't seen in a long time, caught up with them, laughed with them...
I also connected with new people. The very first night, I was paired with 2 extraordinary girls, Kim and Em. I jokingly told them a forewarning of my liking to sleep in the cold (inwardly, I was desperately hoping they felt the same way!) and, to my joyful surprise, Kim backed me up!
Unfortunately, I didn't have a blanket that first night to keep me warm. I was freezing! I couldn't fall asleep completely. I checked the time on my phone... 1 AM... 2:47 AM... 3:26 AM... and then at 5:36 AM I looked out of the window and saw this:
After waking up (for the umpteenth time that night) to this, I felt a calm wash over me. I was ready to listen to my surroundings, to feel in touch with everything around me: the trees, the air, the people. It was refreshing to get out of the chaos and hectic lifestyle in the city. One of the days at camp, I was in charge of the boating activity, I had to kayak out to tell our boaters they had gone too far for us to see them. I decided to just stay out at the limit so they knew what point to return to the shore at. Sitting in that kayak with the sun beaming, the smell of fresh water and trees at its intoxicating peak, I decided I'd have a talk with God. I felt an overwhelming need to thank him for everything, the good and the bad. I wanted to be able to be in that same spot, physically and spiritually, every day from there on out. However, He helped me understand something at that moment: I didn't have to be in total isolation to feel that He was with me... He would always be with me and remain there for whenever I wanted to talk, no matter where I found myself. That was such an amazing experience and one that I am unwilling to ever forget.
Sometimes, we need to stop our rush and just contemplate on where we are and be thankful that we've come that far, appreciate and enjoy those moments and all the moments in between. We often forget how blessed we truly are to just get up in the morning and we spend so much time making the most of every day and we don't stop to truly enjoy it. That's my challenge to you. The next time you are in a tight spot or you find yourself having been successful in a task, stop and thank the powers that be :) pat yourself on the back, reflect on where you once were and where you are at that moment, relish in the feeling because you worked your butt off to get there, and thank those that helped you on the way.
The rest of the week was full of blessings and horrible food (haha), but that's part of the deal, right? It was bittersweet when the moment came that we all had to part ways. I miss them all but we'll be seeing each other real soon.
Then, I spent 3 days over at one of my dearest friend's house because she was leaving for college later on that week. It was relaxing, and I got to catch up on my sleep! When I got home (FINALLY!) on Wednesday, I checked my summer semester grades online. I knew I had aced all my classes because I sent my professors a "thank you" email and they replied with their own "thank you"s and my grade for their class. I was just worried about my GPA.
You see, I had ended my first college semester with a 1.166 GPA. Yes, that's right, a 1.166 GPA. I was (obviously) placed on probation for my Spring semester (which includes the summer semester). I was prepared for it to have gotten better because I knew how hard I worked but I was still worried. Bouncing back from a 1.166 is not an easy task. Then I saw it...
I cannot even begin to express the happiness I feel and new-found confidence.
The week after I came back from my best friend's house, I went on another camping trip to Lake George with some friends from church. That was the icing on the cake that was my summer.
There was absolutely no service at the camp site and that went for about a 5-10 mile radius. It was so relaxing. I let my phone die on Thursday, August the 27th, when I got there, and did not charge it again until Sunday, the 30th, before we started taking the tents down. I didn't take very many pictures but that doesn't bother me. The memories are ingrained. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful and relaxing.
Here are two of the three pictures I did manage to take:
These were taken in the nearest town. It was also the first place we could get service haha.
I will forever cherish this year thus far. Every experience I've had, every late night, early morning, serene moment, and chaotic moment, too. I am so thankful for every single one of those memories and for having the opportunity to share them with you all!
I hope that you feel the same way, too.
With love,
xoxo
