Dear Camp Pembroke,
We wait all year for you. For the quiet winter months when camp feels impossibly far away, for the spring days spent counting down, for the moment when cars roll through the gates and suddenly, somehow, we are all back together again. We finally get to see you again.
The first few days always feel a little extra magical. You remind us that you aren’t just a place we come to each summer, you are a home we return to, a community that somehow picks up right where it left off, even after months apart.
This week, camp, you welcomed us back in the most Pembroke way possible. You ran, you jumped and you hugged your way back together and the Horseshoe felt alive once again. The sounds of the rocks under our feet, the tetherball wrapping itself around the pole and the screams of pure joy as screen doors slam open.
Camp, you remind us each year that some things simply matter. You reminded us that camp traditions aren’t just traditions. They are anchors, little pieces of home that campers carry with them all year long. So as we passed the torch, and with it, our legacies, on that very first night, you reminded us that this feeling of contentment and happiness is meant to be shared together.
This week, you gave us something even more important than the familiar sites and sounds. You gave us new relationships. We watched campers meet the counselors who will soon become trusted confidantes, biggest cheerleaders, and role models. We saw shy introductions turn into laughter, arm-in-arm walks, and the beginnings of friendships that will shape this summer in ways we cannot yet imagine. You sparked kindness and compassion in all of us.
You challenged us, too. There were bullseyes hit this week, some literal and some not. Every camper who raised a bow, tried a new activity, introduced herself to someone new, or simply found the courage to walk into a bunk on opening day experienced a victory worth celebrating.
This week also brought our first cloudy day. The sun may have taken a brief break, but camp certainly didn’t. The skies were gray, yet the laughter remained loud, the songs still echoed across camp, and joy continued to fill every corner. Camp, you have always been so much bigger than the weather. You teach us, year after year, that the best days are not defined by sunshine but by the people beside us.
Already, only days into the summer, we can feel it happening. Camp is working its quiet magic once again. Bunks are becoming homes. Counselors are becoming family. New friendships are taking root. Confidence is growing. Independence is emerging.
And so, dear Camp, thank you.
Thank you for the traditions that ground us, the surprises that delight us, the challenges that stretch us, and the community that holds us. Thank you for being a place where girls can grow into exactly who they are meant to be.
We are so grateful to be back. We love you, Camp Pembroke.
Love,
