Scamp Spirit One of my favorite aspects of being Aloha’s Director is staying in touch with campers, counselors, and alums throughout the year. I hear again and again — from community members far and near — that Aloha is the place they think of as home. I’ve asked myself often: What turns a summer camp into a home? Each of us was new to Aloha at one time, of course, so how is it that this magical place in Vermont has become our home? What is it about Aloha that nourishes our souls, feeds our hearts, and pulls us back again and again to the shores of Lake Morey? For some it may be the music — knowing the words and the tunes to the songs in the songbook; being able to hum well-established harmonies, or even make up your own; recognizing what song is coming next after hearing just a few opening chords on the guitar or piano; remembering that Biff Fink wrote “Helen Shaw’s Song,” while Cara Latham wrote “Here on The Water.” Music permeates every aspect of our lives at camp, and is the spirit that fortifies our daily rhythms.
I 've asked myself often: What turns a summer camp into a home? For some it may be the sense of place — knowing where Mahoosucs and the Treehouse are; recognizing the growth of young flowers or saplings over the course of weeks or seasons; feeling the familiarity of root-studded paths underfoot; being transported by the scent of pine, or the comfort of campfire smoke carried by a summer breeze. A sense of place can help us feel grounded in an
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environment and connected to its essence, bringing a sense of physical communion to what may be otherwise simply an emotional or psychological experience. Still others find comfort in the camp’s lore — Shel Ball’s connections to Mother and Father Gulick, or Maggie White’s relationship to Helen Shaw; the fact that Erin Wilson was Julia Hall’s tent counselor, or that Amelia Huang’s mom (and Yarrow Randall’s aunt) and I were in Club together; the story Doug Baker shared at Wishing Fire of how he met Tory at Aloha before they were husband and wife; why we talk about SubClub, DubSubs, and TripSubs, or where Nancy’s Nightmare got that name. Our stories weave across generations and experiences — joining us to one another and tethering us to a history that is greater than our individual verses, while at the same time creating space for us to write our own new chapters. Home is a place where you are enough as you are — a place where you can be yourself, whoever that self may be. It is the relief that comes with being seen and recognized, challenged and affirmed, trusted, respected, and welcomed. Home requires nothing of you — it is a place where you give freely of yourself, and you get more than you need. Home represents the comfort of friendship, the ease of acceptance, and the familiarity of belonging. I look forward to welcoming you all home to Aloha in 2019. Hugs and love, Sarah littlefield Director of Aloha