As I reached up to grab something off of the shelf next to my bed, I heard a jingle which caught my attention.  When I looked over, I noticed that the sound had been made by the many lanyards and medals I have collected over the years from my time at Sibling Camp.  I keep them all looped around my shelf to remind me of the weeks at camp. When I come home from camp, one of the first things I do is to hang my lanyard and medal on my shelf so that I can reflect upon the memories I’ve made.

The first one that I noticed was the very first medal I received for completing the Polar Bear Swim challenge, which is earned by getting up early and swimming in the pool every morning of camp.  I recall feeling so disappointed when I realized I had lost the medal on the day of camper pick-up, but the counselors replaced the lost one with an extra that they had (because they are just so awesome like that).  From then on, I always double-checked to be sure I had not misplaced my medal by the time camp was over.

Seeing all of my lanyards and medals makes me feel so thankful that I have been able to be a part of Indian Summer Camp and the Kids Cancer Alliance family.  It also reminds me that there are many more years to come filled with excitement and powerful, happy memories. There is a specific theme each year to look forward to (from books and movies to board games or the circus), and though the theme of camp week may change from year to year, the heart and kindness of camp will never change.