Sunday Snippet: Gratitude and Hope

Gratitude and Hope are two words that have been under utilized in our interactions throughout most of this year… and justifiably so.  It has and continues to be a challenging and disheartening year.  I like many have battled giving in to the hopelessness and self-pity of all that we have had to face in 2020.  It can be easy to exclaim “What’s the point?” as we trudge through our daily activities overshadowed by a raging pandemic, highly charged racial injustice, spiteful political division and unimaginable environmental catastrophe.

But gratitude and hope are what we truly need to lift us above the dark clouds to see that the sun can still shine in our world.  Gratitude allows us to live in the moment and examine all the good that remains in our lives.  Hope allows us to look toward our future and know that it will get better.

Here at WeHaKee, the decision to keep camp closed this past summer was devastating and  gut wrenching.  Not being able to hear the girls laughing, the screen doors slamming and the songs drifting across Hunter Lake took a terrible toll on our camp psyche throughout the quiet summer.  But we drenched our sorrows in sweat and tears as we built new fire circle seating, recarpeted the swim raft, along with painting countless rooms, railings and buildings. And slowly gratitude and hope began to fill the void. 

As we reminisced about summers past, we felt gratitude for the countless magical moments we have experienced over our years at WeHaKee.  We felt gratitude for the opportunity to continue to serve our camp community this summer painting, sawing and hammering that replaced the building of a new community each session.  And we remained grateful as we stayed healthy knowing how many were struggling at the hands of the unseen yet devastating virus.

Hope emerged in the positive & supportive interactions we repeatedly had with our WeHaKee camp community since the moment we announced the postponement camp.  Hope continued to grow as families, campers and staff immediately started to commit to returning to camp in 2021.  And hope evolved as we have learned so much more about how we can provide a safe and healthy camp experience next summer

Gratitude and hope do not erase the challenges we are still facing in this unprecedented year.  The pandemic is still with us, the road to racial justice and equity is long and steep, our divisive politics remain treacherous and climate change leaves frightening uncertainty.  But embracing gratitude and hope will allow us to individually and collectively continue to chip away at these threats.  And as a bonus, both have been proven to sustain and strengthen our mental health in significant ways!

In closing we wish to express our gratitude to all of you for believing in and supporting WeHaKee Camp for Girls for nearly 100 years!  That provides all of us endless hope for the continuation of the wonderful and growth filled camp experiences for years to come.  Be well, stay safe and have a great week!