Kamp Kiwani reunion!

It all started over a year ago and for months it lingered in my mind,

but I always brushed it off.

Reunion? I've never done reunions. Not school reunions, ever.

And I'd never heard of a camp reunion.

But on the day of the registration deadline,

one week out, my sister called.

"Come on, we have to go. I'm registering!"

So what could I do but follow suit?

One week later, we met in Jackson and wound the rural roads of southwest Tennessee,

arriving at the gate. Kamp Kiwani.

For three summers in the 1970's, Kiwani was my home.

Camp counselor and waterfront staff.

Who could love such a job? Stifling heat. Homesick little girls 24/7. Giggly, clingy girls.

Mosquito and chigger bites. Squeaky cots that offered little rest.

Sand between the sheets, sweat running down my back, and towels that never dry.

But they were the best summers of my life, shared with other college students

who became closer than sisters.

And so last weekend, we were invited back to an alumni reunion:

any campers and staff  who'd ever gone to Kiwani could come spend a weekend

at their beloved camp.

At the last minute, I joined them.

Tomorrow:

Arriving at camp. Cedar, Donut and Speedy!