And It Was Good by Courtney Smith

In the beginning of the summer, when God created staff training, there was a formless dream of what the summer would hold. The sun was shining, forest covered the face of the hills, and a warm breeze blew across the meadows.

Then God said, “Let there be camp”, and week one began. And God saw that camp was good, and God separated the community from the rest of the world. Friendship blossomed, and creativity flourished, and it was good. And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Saturday morning, the first week.

And God said, “Let the brownies roam the land.” And it was so. They crept through the forest and climbed up the trees. And the campers clapped and sang and scared them away, and it was good. And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Saturday morning, the second week.

And God said “Let the waters be gathered in one place, and let the hot sun dry up the land.” And it was so. And dips were held every night, and soda was stocked at Cedar Lodge, and the ice lolly trolley sailed through the camp. And God saw that it was good. And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Saturday morning, the third week.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night.” And on Tuesday night, there came many great lights into camp. Staff guided them into lower village, and they took Daz away, but he was okay. And all was good. And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Saturday morning, the fourth week.

And God said, “Let the cities bring forth swarms of campers and may they fill the villages and the High Points.” And so the children came from the cities and delighted in the camp. And the counselors sadly bade farewell to a few dear friends. God blessed them saying “Love one another, forgive mistakes, and wear as much denim as possible.” And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Saturday morning, the fifth week.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: black bears and mosquitoes, alpacas and lice.” And it was so. And on Tuesday He said to the lice, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the camp.” And it was so. And the nurses checked everyone’s hair, and the staff’s hearts broke when everyone went home. But the camp was cleaned and was purged of the lice, and it was good. And there was Sunday afternoon, and there was Wednesday morning, the 6th week.

Thus, the summer was nearly finished in all its multitude. In the seventh week it rained in mourning and a cool breeze blew across the meadows. And on Saturday, the staff rested from all the work that they had done. And so God blessed the summer camp and hallowed it, because in it God saw all the beautiful work he had created. And it was good.