July 23, 2026

At 6:45 this morning, reveille blew, and the many people that make Greystone fly like an eagle on closing day jumped into action. A crowd of counselors emerged from the Dining Hall (where they had been drinking coffee and feasting on a closing day breakfast buffet that we serve before the girls are up). Cheers arose from the cabin area making us smile, for everyone is obviously excited about another Great Day, this one featuring you! A line of tractors proceeded down the upper road, their engines roaring to cheers as we jogged to our designated pick-up points (swinging arms, stretching backs, and groaning with anticipation of the exertion ahead). As soon as the tractors stopped, the counselors jumped into action and grabbed every tagged bag they could handle and ran toward the enormous empty trailers. Smelly laundry bags, massive trunks, manageable duffle bags, and the random cardboard box or book bag. I watched with wonder, no longer joining in the exertion. Old age has some benefits. My grey hair (more noticeable than in years past) and hearing aids mark me as someone to be treated carefully. Offensive to me at first, but accepted in time.

The transfer of literally thousands of bags did not take long. Our team is well trained and enjoys hard work (at least they act as if they do!). Their joy in the process pulls campers into the “fun,” as evidenced by the dozens of campers dragging duffles as big as a boulder toward the closest trailer. They were obviously proud of themselves for doing such a hard thing; you might be surprised to know your sweet little girl is capable of such a thing. Your girls have proven themselves capable, strong, gritty, and resilient. They have learned to embrace the hard things that come every day with enthusiasm (or at least a good attitude).

A good camp session draws us closer to God, and we know that we have been blessed with another good year at camp. We are sad (poured out might be a better way of describing it) as we do the apparently joyous work of closing camp. We are sad, but we are also happy to think of the joyous reunions, vacations, school years, new work positions that await our various friends. So many good things, so many challenges ahead that we now enter with a new sense of confidence. We look forward to each new circumstance with a faith that God will work it all out for good. There is everything to look forward to and nothing to dread, and we anticipate them all with a steady eye and confident hand. One day we will enjoy a reunion weekend with our camp friends in an exotic location. Someplace like Atlanta, Austin, Aspen, or Aiken; if the stars align, perhaps we will even descend on New York or Nebraska! We anticipate unexpected airport reunions with Greystone alums we don’t know. We look forward to Opening Day next year. Much to look forward to indeed!

Greystone Girls (I know you are reading this… it’s one of the things you like to do at some point after leaving camp), know that we miss you keenly. We will look at the moon reflecting its brilliance in the lake’s calm waters tonight and wish you were here to see it. We are just as exhausted as you. We are just as teary as you. We miss you, and we love you dearly.

Greystone fans (a group that includes parents, alums, and friends), thank you for caring enough about camp to read a camp blog on a day such as this. Only a fan would read a camp blog when camp was over. That you exist is an encouragement beyond words. Thank You.

The end of Main Camp marks a transition in our year. While there are still two weeks of absolute Greystone delight ahead of us, it will not be the same. Young campers love camp differently than main campers. We will have fun, laugh a lot, and play like little children. We will enjoy August Camp immensely, but are already anticipating next year’s Main Camp.

Soon, we will assess what we have learned from this summer. We will pore over and discuss the parent surveys, the camper surveys, the many emails, letters, staff comments, and camper stories. As we digest and prayerfully consider all these things, we will eventually arrive at a point of clarity and confidence. For 107 years, God has always made the path known; our faith that He will do so in the years to come is strong. So to close, I am reminded of a hymn that my mother loved dearly. So I close with the words of Fanny Crosby (the 19th-century mission worker, poet, composer, and lyricist who wrote more than 8,000 hymns over her lifetime): To God be the glory, great things He has done!