Camp teaches us to love and how to be a friend. To love and be a friend to each other, to the earth, to the people who came before us and those who will follow after. We are so lucky that Runoia is a home base of love for campers, staff, family members, and alumni – anyone who has spent a summer at camp knows that you leave a piece of your heart at Runoia, and with a piece of Runoia in your heart.

Valentine’s Day last week had me thinking about all the ways that love shows up in our daily camp lives, and the camp-specific ways that we show love to each other, our earth, and the generations before and after us. So often during the summer, we don’t stop to say ‘I love you’ every day, but rather show that love in Runoia language! These are just a few ways I’ve seen love show up at Runoia, that you can see any day of the summer:

We show love to those who came before us by enjoying the land they cared for.

We show love to those who came before us by honoring traditions that they thoughtfully formed together.

We show love to those who came before us by acknowledging the indigenous communities that stewarded this land.

We show love to the next generation by making progress for our community.

We show love to the next generation by passing down songs, skits, and traditions.

We show love to the next generation by updating our library, our equipment, and our facilities.

We show love to the earth by caring for the animals of Runoia.

We show love to the earth by learning all about her in camp craft, JMG, and on trips.

We show love to the earth by practicing LNT when we go camping and hiking.

We show love to each other by offering kindness in the hard moments.

We show love with the sentence ‘I made you a bracelet.’

We show love when we say, ‘you can come sit next to me.’

We show love by sharing our song book.

We show love by giving someone else the opportunity to be Miss Tacky.

We show love when we celebrate other’s accomplishments.

We show love when we give each other the space to be seen and heard.

We show love by listening about each others’ days at circle time.

We show love in so many ways unique to the summer, to camp, to Runoia.

Love,

Aionur