"In MY Neverland, there's a parachute"

Ladies and gentlemen, the best week of my life (so far): NEVERLAND.

I would share pictures with you, but I can't get to them, because they're password protected on the camp website. Funny how being on leadership can't even get me that privilege. I guess I could just ask for the password. Whatever. Anyway. It's awesome. Seriously though, the week theme this week here at CRS is indeed Neverland. Let me be clear: it is NOT Peter Pan week. The reason for this is that I want each child here to create their very own Neverland. J.M. Barrie states in his book Peter and Wendy, that all Neverlands are different, each specially crafted for each child, but all more or less an island. Now, this camp happens to be landlocked, and even though I contacted a construction team, it seems that fixing that problem is out of my hands. But even though I can't make this place an island, I've been able to give these kids, and also these counselors, an empty canvas to work with. I gave them face paint, feathers, and a pep talk, and sent them out into their Neverlands. People keep walking up to me and saying, "Hannah, this is so great! You're doing such a great job!" And I'm so embarrassed, because this has nothing to do with me-this week theme would have flopped if the counselors hadn't gotten excited about it and decided it to make it the best week of all eternity. I think people forget that I just give them the environment to have fun in, but they're the ones doing the real work, which is having the fun.

I have to say though, seeing 150 people young and old get excited about using their imaginations has been like giving me a gift. It's like at Christmas, when you give someone a present that you really, really like, and you're nervous they won't think it's as absolutely fabulous as you do-but then they LOVE it. I've had counselors run up to me and say, "I LOVE Neverland! I see unicorns everywhere." Or, "My girls decided that their Neverland was winter and summer at the same time, so there are snowflakes covering half of their cabin, and butterflies covering the other half. Also we built a castle out of one of the bunks." My heart could explode when I hear things like that. No told them to make snowflakes, they did it to pretend. No one told them to make the boathouse into a princess tower, they did it as a pretend. No one asked them to come up with their Lost Boy names, they did it as an adventure. No one made them wear headdresses all week and come to breakfast with painted faces, they do it because they're pretending. Pretending to be princesses, pirates, indians, lost boys, fairies, unicorns, anything, everything. Seven year olds, and 33 year olds.

I can't brag on this staff enough this week. I really, really can't. They've made this week everything I envisioned it being. And no matter how many stars I hang from the ceiling, it all relies on them.