Every year, for the past twenty-two years, the month of August is synonymous with  Camp Jaycee.  My sister, Karen, aka…Sonny looks forward to this retreat all year long. AND, believe me, my family and I hear about it non-stop. Camp Jaycee is a home away from home for adults with disabilities.  It is a loving place where friends gallop up happily to hug, squeeze, and pinch a familiar face. Smiles abound and singing and humming are a must.  You can feel the joy all around you like an invisible shield of protected goodness. Trees echo the names of friends of friends of friends. Year after year, parents and caregivers relinquish their precious children and watch as the young, compassionate, camp counselors with their welcoming presence, invite one and all into their new home and prepare them for the time of their lives.  These young, selfless caregivers travel from all over the globe to come to Camp Jaycee and be a part of something magical – the campers!

It requires a lot of preparation to ensure that my sister and I’m sure all the other campers have a successful and safe experience.  There are lists for lists for lists of lists to check off of items to be included in the suitcase.  Ah yes, the suitcase – it is really big and pretty heavy. The ride from our home is about 2 plus hours, but once we arrive, it feels like an entirely different world. A Happy Place, a very happy place 🙂  Interestingly, the suitcase doesn’t feel as heavy once we arrive. My sister can’t wait to pounce out of the vehicle and find her friends, especially her best friend, Cindy.    These two BFFs have been camping together since the very first day.  They share the same cabin, bunked neck to neck.  Sharing not only their worldly possessions for the duration of their camping experience but oh so much more.  They chatter away about just about everything, but of course, they are best friends and that’s what best friends do! Singing around the campfire, splashing in the cool water, paddle boating, participating in sporting activities, appearing in the theater, and even waitressing. But, I think what is most memorable are those unsaid things, the twinkling eye gazes, the big grinning smiles, the belly laughs, and those heartwarming hugs. So when their time together is coming to a close,”Goodbye, Best Friend,” is all that is really needed to say because they both know with certainty that their friendship will always find each other – especially in the month of August. A bond of goodness, love and true friendship that fills the universe with smiles and like a compass they are each other’s “true north!”