In the years since my “Camp Hagan Days,” I have spent many minutes and hours remembering all that was important to me about that time and place. The friendships, the joy of singing, the pure beauty of the setting, the awareness of God’s presence, the sense of belonging, looking up to role models, the traditions, the fun! I could go on and on – and have, for HOURS, with those same friends and others that have been added along the way, who share the same experiences. But now, at a much later stage of life, I find myself thinking over and over again about the STRUCTURE of our days at Hagan. The order, the familiarity, the knowing what was going to happen each day. Not that there weren’t surprises, of course, but even those existed within a known framework.
It started weeks before leaving for camp, when the planning and packing began. There was a list, a very specific list, of what we would need and what we were to bring. The uniforms of course. Exactly 4 blankets, I remember, which were used in a most ingenious way to make up beds that would all look alike. Rain boots, and the number of sweaters we might need, etc. etc. It was all spelled out and I loved getting it all ready, and along with my Mom, checking each item off the list as we put it in the foot locker.
And then once there, the routine of check-in day – the office, the pillbox, the cabin and meeting new people. The daily schedule where each activity was heralded by a bugle call. Except for “special days” we did the same things at the same time each day, and that was part of the magic, the comfort, the security. Even our chores (kapers) were regimented based on a list and rotated assignments. Lining up for vespers, all in our uniforms, and passing into the chapel to sit on a poncho just like all the other cabins, and just like we had done the evening before and would do again the next evening. The cabins were all alike, with the cubbies and the bathroom in the same place, the shutters lined up perfectly, and the clothesline out back. Seating in the dining hall – the same items were in the center of each table, and the counsellor and waitress sat at the same position, meal after meal. It all made for a familiarity season after season.
Those days were ordered and structured, but never felt boring or overly repetitive. That structure provided the framework where the friendships, spirituality, learning, fun, adventure, laughs, and God’s grace could blossom. I am so very fortunate to have been afforded that wonderful opportunity. My Hagan years are among the treasures of my life – it truly was a Camp with Character.