Meet my friends, the McEvoys. If you have read Finding Fitzgerald, you met Jeanne & Grady, they hosted the impromptu spaghetti dinner that changed the direction of my research plus brought me five dear new friends for life.
Grammie Camp
A few years after meeting the McEvoys, they relocated from their fantastic home in Price to the Midwest to be closer to family. In the summer of 2015, Jeanne hosted the first of seven Grammie Camps. A week-long adventure at Grandma and Grandpa's. Did you ever have one of those? As an outsider, I waited anxiously for the annual photos of the week. I was never disappointed.
Adventure upon Adventure
From bowling to pool building, the two grandkids had the time of their lives. Some days and activities were structured, such as sewing a dress, taking golf lessons, or helping with the house rebuild.
Other days were open for water game creation, nature experiences like watching a caterpillar morph to a butterfly, or grow a pineapple from planting the top.
With every snapshot Jeanne took, we the viewer could see and feel the joy of life being lived to its fullest. It may not have been The Great Brain or Huckleberry Finn but in many ways, it felt like it.
Seasons Change
This summer, 2022, the final Grammie Camp was held. A pang twinged my heart, and I shed a tear. The words of "Sunrise, Sunset" floated through my soul as I looked at the kids all grown up, each launching into adulthood, baking cookies for their final activity.
Autumnal Equinox
While I stared at the cookie baking photo, my heart made a vow. When I have grandkids, I am hosting Grammie Camps, just like Jeanne & Grady. I haven't planned the activities yet, but I will.
In the next 24 hours the world will shift into a new season. The hours of light and dark will be balanced for a moment. Then growth, shift, and renewals will begin for all of us everywhere. Just like these two delightful grandkids, may we have a store house of fantastic memories to draw us forward into our personal growth ahead.