Hello Friends
Apologies for being somewhat dark & mysterious yesterday. It was two-days-in-one sort of day, both joyful & peaceful here in my happy little life in a Saratoga bubble and terribly sad & tragic in another world close to my heart. The idyllic world of my dear Camp Strawderman was shaken by an unthinkable loss. A lovely and beloved young woman lost her life while riding – doing precisely what she most wanted to do on a beautiful summer morning in the Shenandoah.
The Camp Strawderman community spans generations and continents, yet last night as the terrible news made its way to each of us, we all found ourselves reconnected – as if time & space had melted away – and we were once again in the goodnight circle, holding hands, crying and singing “our fond good nights”. With our hearts heavy and most of us far, far away, we all went to bed with visions of that familiar, steadfast and comforting view of the suns final glow over the mountains and those melancholy notes of TAPS echoing over our dear home away from home.
(For those tracking my “streak”, I’m picking up here to write more in this one post instead of starting a new one… and I’m counting this as another consecutive day of writing, while already starting to fade.)
All of this leads my thoughts back to not only my cherished years as a camper and counselor at Strawderman, but even moreso to the path – and the powerful impact of one person – who led me to Camp, and in so doing, changed my life in so many profoundly positive ways. That person was a super smart, strong, sassy, independent, opinionated, fun-loving, fearless and boundlessly creative woman named Helen Button. Known as Helen in San Diego, and Button at Camp, and a woman without whom I would not be half the person I am today.
The backstory to my Strawderman days:
Note – to be continued!