...I gave Cameron a hug and said "Good-Bye".
It wasn't like he was going away for a long time, it was only four days. This four days happened to be the first time any of the boys had gone to camp, the first time any of the boys would be gone for longer than a day or two, and the first time any of the boys didn't have dad, me, a grandparent or aunt with them. Cameron was on his own. I guess, not exactly on his own. He had his best friend, Hunter, Clay the boys' camp sponsor and eight girls and their camp sponsors traveling with them for the week. Still...this four days was the longest of my life.
The church van left out on Sunday afternoon, so Cameron and I spent the morning packing his suitcase. I'm sure I overpacked, but he needed clothes for four days plus an extra set, swim wear, flip flops, tennis shoes, sheets, covers, towels, pillows, band-aids, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, money, mine and dad's phone numbers, ink pens, and his Bible. We got all of that in one, very large suitcase.
When we pulled up to the church to drop him off, I could already feel the lump in my throat. He was so excited, and I couldn't dare let him or any of the other parents see that at any moment I could possibly turn into the bawling crybaby. I kept telling myself, It is only until Thursday morning. He will be fine. I knew he would have blast, but believe me it wasn't easy watching the van pull away. (I'm guessing this is some foreshadowing of what is to come when they go off to college)
I got to work the next morning and learn I can see some pictures from camp through their website. How awesome was that? Technology sure is a great thing. I opened the photo album, and sure enough there are pictures from Day I and some very good pictures of Cameron. Of course, I shared the pictures with every person who walked by my office, and of course, I left the pictures up on my desktop so I could look at them every hour or so. Alright, Alright - every few minutes.
Monday came and went, then Tuesday, Wednesday and finally Thursday was here. Those four days seemed to drag on forever. I was getting ready for work, when I got the phone call - the kiddos are back home and at the church. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I ran to my closet grabbed the closest pair of flip flops and ran to the car. As I backed out of the driveway, I realized I have no make up on and my hair is half straight. The other part of my hair is piled on top of my head in a clip because I wasn't quite finished with the flat iron. What a sight.
Now, the church is only a short four or five blocks away, but I am positive that I drove miles and miles at the top speed of 1 mph to get there. Two blocks away from the church - the best feeling a mom could ever have...There stood Cameron on the edge of road next to the church van, his arm stretched as high as it would go and waving his hand back and forth. The smile on his face reached from ear to ear. He waved nonstop until I put the car in park. From the moment I saw him standing there, tears filled my eyes. There I was again, pulling myself together and wiping away the tears before I got out to say "Welcome Back".
Cameron had a blast at camp. He had so much fun, he no longer had a voice. Cameron gave me a hug and in a raspy voice said, "Hello." He said, he cheered and hollered so much he actually lost his voice on the first day of camp. The kids were given four Bible verses to learn, and Cameron learned all four of the verses on the first night. He slid down a 100 foot water slide into the camp swimming hole, took a 300 foot zip line through the park, and shot Clay, their sponsor, with paintballs at the camp paintball field. Cameron and Hunter, the only two boys from Walnut who went to camp this year, were given the Cleanest Cabin Award. Out of the 550 kids at the Next Level Kids Camp, Cameron and Hunter kept their cabin the cleanest throughout the week. I'm thinking this type of behavior should carry on to Cameron's bedroom. (I won't hold my breath.) On the last night of camp, Cameron and Hunter got take part in the pizza party since they memorized all of their memory verses.
Memories to last a lifetime. The smile on Cameron's face, the excitement in his voice when he shared all of his experiences at camp are well worth the tears on a momma's face as she watches her kiddos grow up right before her eyes.
Until next time...
...We're gonna keep on doin' it Townley Style.
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