Letters from Camp


I know it happens. They grow…they spread wings…they gain independence…yes, yes I know every bit of that, I always have. But experiencing it as a parent is both thrilling and tugging at my heart. The endless push and pull of little ones, growing.
While Emma was away at camp, she said she wrote me a few letters. She kept forgetting to actually mail them, mind you, but she did write them.
I found two of them in her lake water-dampened clothes which were stuffed into her duffel bag. The first letter was the longest, went on about how “awsome!” (misspelled) everything was… the food, the girls, the counselors, the songs. The second one, apparently written later that first night, when she couldn’t sleep, proclaimed “Mom, I miss you more than anything, please take me home now!” (She tells me that was only one night, that it was all much better after that.)
And a surprise third letter actually came in the mail today. I had to pay the postman an extra 78 cents for it and I would have given him a blank check if I’d had to-

 
A heart shaped rock for our collection.
 
Such a gift I have.

26 Comments
  • Lauren

    July 9, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    😀 this made me smile! I can’t wait for babies 😀 You are a lucky lady your babies are the sweetest. Honestly, thank you for sharing 😀

  • Rid

    July 10, 2009 at 4:30 am

    Delicious! You are so beautiful! Saludos desde Barcelona

  • michelle

    July 10, 2009 at 5:59 am

    what a special treat. i follow your blog daily and have two young boys(6) and (3) of my own. You inspire me as a parent. Thank you for sharing!

  • michelle

    July 10, 2009 at 6:08 am

    🙂 how very ‘awsome!’ what a great relationship you have! i hope that i am doing the right thing for these girls of mine {almost 4 & almost 2}…I hope we are that close. thanks for sharing!

  • Kelly

    July 10, 2009 at 6:11 am

    so sweet!

  • martha

    July 10, 2009 at 6:30 am

    so so sweet.
    you have a winner there. because you are a good good mom:)

  • Kristy

    July 10, 2009 at 6:46 am

    Cute. x

  • Sarah

    July 10, 2009 at 8:14 am

    Love your new header!!

  • Maribeth

    July 10, 2009 at 8:45 am

    My 9-year-old daughter is away on a camping trip with her grandparents this week. I haven’t heard from her since I said goodbye four days ago. It is odd to adjust to growing children isn’t it? I miss her, but I’m happy she is having an experience without me.

  • gkgirl

    July 10, 2009 at 10:25 am

    awwwwwww…
    i love this…

  • Karin

    July 10, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    The way you write about your children, you love for them, your relationship with them, is very touching. Thank you for sharing that with us.

  • Donyale

    July 10, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    It’s those cool things that make your heart sing isn’t it…I have a little book and my daughter and I write in it to each other. We then have to get the book to the other one without being too obvious. It leads to some funny scenes.

  • betz

    July 10, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    awwww…..

  • Erin | house on hill road

    July 10, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    so so sweet!

  • gina

    July 10, 2009 at 6:49 pm

    The letters, the rock…all so sweet. I know how you feel. Mine went to spend the week out of state with their cousins. It’s bittersweet.

  • Courtney Russell

    July 10, 2009 at 7:02 pm

    oh my! What a great thing to receive!

  • Deanna

    July 10, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    I’ve been enjoying your blog for a few weeks now and today feel compelled to chirp up and say hello. This is a very touching post. Glad I have a few years before my little guys will be old enough for camp! Love the letter & the heart shape rock gift. The picture is lovely, too. I feel the same… what a gift I have. Thank you for sharing.

  • curiousbird

    July 11, 2009 at 6:42 am

    Blair,
    this post made me smile. I’m off to run a summer camp in just a couple of days and I can’t tell you how many calls from parents I have received over the years asking me if their child was “still at camp” because they haven’t received a “SINGLE LETTER”! I assure them that he or she is definitely still there and that it’s a pretty good sign of their having a nice time. But I always try to give the camper a gentle remind to “Write Your Mother”
    There are also lots of calls from parents who have received the “GET ME OUT OF HERE PRONTO” letters — those calls usually take a little more time…
    So glad Emma had a blast. Summer camp sure is tops in my book.
    xoxo,
    Leya

  • blair/wisecraft

    July 11, 2009 at 7:34 am

    Leya, I'm so glad there are camp counselors like you! I have always thought that summer camp was such a rite of passage in some regard, one that is part of being a kid. Hope you have a fabulous time at camp too! xo

  • blair/wisecraft

    July 11, 2009 at 7:37 am

    I love the idea of the book! Sometimes notes are the best way to "talk" to one another. I'm going to remember that.

  • Lynn in Tucson

    July 11, 2009 at 7:47 am

    Priceless. We see our little (and only) one tomorrow after she’s spent ten days away with my parents. It’s been long enough.
    🙂

  • Alisa at Ink Caravan

    July 11, 2009 at 5:24 pm

    Oh, how beautiful!! Made me well up.

  • mommycoddle

    July 13, 2009 at 5:36 am

    seriously, leya. i’d send my kids to any camp where you were the counselor. 🙂

  • mommycoddle

    July 13, 2009 at 5:37 am

    blair, this post rings true with me as we deal with some growing up stuff with our emma. *sigh*

  • amisha

    July 18, 2009 at 5:18 pm

    this makes me smile big. hope i am half as awesome a mom one day!!
    xo

  • blair/wisecraft

    July 18, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    you'll be moreso : )

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