For the past several years, we have gone camping with a group of friends. It began several years back, so our girls could earn a pin on camping. Now, it is a beloved tradition.
Due to our current circumstances, we did not think we could make it. The idea of gathering gear, packing, etc. seemed daunting. Our friends didn’t care, they made it possible for us to go out for the day and let our kids stay the night with their friends. It was a wonderful weekend!
We arrived in the morning and just hung out. The kids swam in the water even though it was super cold! They made memories swimming around, catching frogs and minnows, hiking, playing games, eating. We stayed way later than we had intended. It was nice to just be there with loved ones.
It was a relief to NOT have to be doing something cancer related. We did talk about cancer, but we also talked about other things, normal things, and I felt like I was just hanging with my friends. They took extra measures to have food on hand for us, made sure I did not do too much. I felt really loved and cared for. So did our kids.
After dinner we sat around the campfire and did s’mores! Chris brought out his guitar (always a highlight of our camping experience) and blessed us with some fun and some worship songs. He played one of James’ favorite tunes right now, “Knee Deep” and a song he heard recently that made him think of us, “You Never Let Go” by Passion.
He played several other fun, favorites until it started sprinkling! We left shortly after. The kids stayed and all were happy to sleep with friends in their dry tents. Well, most of them were dry! One tent had a leak! They all woke to rain, and I am pretty sure ate a very wet and soggy breakfast.
We’ve had camping trips like this, it isn’t always so fun! But they all were grinning when we drove up! Everyone agreed to a group picture before heading home. This picture captured some who are very near and dear to our hearts. There is one family missing, we may need to photo shop them in or something!
Thanks, friends for years-full of memories together!
Leave a Reply