Article July 25, 2011 Issue

Seasons of good

Christie Hanzlik

I recently saw a photograph of my childhood summer camp as it looks in February—the lake nearly frozen, the water slide coated with ice, and the trees draped in snow. Without the rich green foliage and the rainbow flashes of color from children in their swimsuits on a rope swing, I almost felt depressed by the winter scene.

Then a fresh insight came, inspired by my understanding of Christ’s promise and love for each of us. It occurred to me that during the winter, the staff members of this camp—which is only open in the summer and fall—rest and reflect upon the past summer while preparing for the next. They don’t hold meetings about ways to expedite spring. They don’t host strategy sessions about making the grass more verdant or bringing back the buzzing sound of the cicadas. And they definitely don’t worry about looking for swimmers in the lake.

They know that the warm weather and the campers will return when it’s time. They know that the summer will come at the right time—when the children are out of school and the horses have rested and are ready to take riders again. Since the camp first opened 50 years ago, the spring and then the summer have unfailingly returned to bring fresh opportunities to those who enjoy their beauty.

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