“Unveiling the Essence of Breath: Insights from The Cullman Times”

As I strolled through the parking area into our office this morning, the aroma of bacon and eggs was potent enough to derail even the strictest diet.

I inhaled deeply to savor the fragrance and my thoughts instantly drifted back to the days of summer camp.

From the age of 8, all the way through my high school years and part of my college years (as a counselor), I was a camper at Living Waters Baptist Youth Camp in Hayden. The final week of July each year, we would pack our church van (or any vehicles we could gather) with overly eager kids and embark on our week-long journey.

This camp stood apart from typical summer camps. The regulations were rigid, and many found them difficult to handle. The girls and boys needed to wear shorts or culottes that reached their knees, dresses on special nights, no radios, no televisions, no phones… no interactions with the outside world. It was just you, the counselors, other campers, and God. It might not seem appealing to today’s culture. Yet we were kids and understood the amount of fun that awaited us when we took that dirt road.

Now, returning to the breakfast aromas from this morning… One of the most significant distinctions between this camp and any other camp I had ever known was the cuisine. Miss Debbie would whip up homemade bread each week. Every breakfast featured bacon, sausage, biscuits, grits, eggs, and gravy. It was so delightful you would fantasize about the food all year long. For dinner, Miss Debbie would prepare homemade culinary delights such as barbecue, fried chicken, and taco salads. My mouth waters just reminiscing about it.

One of the less favorable aspects of summer camp was the wake-up call. We had to rise early in the morning for prayer and to pledge allegiance to the flag. It felt like waking at 3 a.m. While in reality it was probably closer to 6:30 a.m. But when you’re a child on summer break, it was sheer torture.

However, the waking calls paled in comparison to the shower situation. The plumbing at the camp, wrapping up 25 years ago, was somewhat dubious. And without air conditioning in the steamy Alabama summer, we relied heavily on those showers. One year, the older girls discovered that if you spat your toothpaste into the sink, it would surface on the shower floor. Thus, you can imagine what we would do to those poor girls showering while we brushed our teeth. I feel it necessary to pause now and express my apologies to the director, Uncle Mike, for some of the comical yet dreadful actions I committed at summer camp. But let’s move past that.

We consistently enjoyed playful games and laughter throughout the week. But the absolute highlight of summer camp were the nightly services. We held church services every night during camp and although we were kids and one might assume we dreaded it, we genuinely anticipated these gatherings. Sometimes they would stretch on for hours, but it was because we were being transformed from the inside out.

I can vividly remember observing as my friends and family members wept together, praying for one another and aspiring for miracles. We witnessed incredible events unfold during summer camp, but the most remarkable experiences occurred at the altars, typically on Thursday nights. We spent the week having fun and bonding, yet we all understood that Thursday night was when everything became real. We made transformative choices at those altars and in those metal folding chairs, even at such young ages.

Recently, I attended the camp for a ladies meeting they host at the beginning of October every year. I endeavor to attend, if for no other reason than to have all those memories flood back to me.

I wouldn’t exchange anything for those weeks we spent at summer camp. We matured significantly during those weeks and gained more knowledge than at any other time during our summer.

Individuals invested their time and hearts into a bunch of energetic, odoriferous kids, and it proved worthwhile. Most of the kids who attended summer camp with us grew into outstanding adults. I can’t help but believe that the influences they encountered at camp contributed to shaping them into who they are today.