Something special about this place
August 11, 2010
Last week we said goodbye to one group of students and busily prepared for another set of students to arrive. As the students were leaving I had the opportunity to speak to many of their parents. One set in particular told me how much their daughter had enjoyed her two weeks with us and that she didn't want to go home. They said that all year she had been looking forward to coming to Birch Creek and much of her planning centered on the two weeks she would spend with us. They also said that the first thing their daughter did when she got her new 2010 calendar in January was to highlight in the brightest colors possible her Birch Creek dates. They continued to tell me how she had kept in contact with all her Birch Creek friends throughout the year despite the fact that they were from different parts of the county.
I then thought about my own situation and the fact that much of my time and energy is spent in preparation to come to Wisconsin every summer. Some of my closest friends are those that I know from our time spent at Birch Creek. Even though we're from different parts of the country, we stay in contact all year long. In fact, we often work professionally together long after our summer season at Birch Creek has ended.
There seems to be something special about this place; it has a bonding effect that I've rarely seen anywhere else. Maybe it's the fact that we use an old dairy barn as a concert hall. Maybe it's the amazing beauties of Door County or the wonderful people found here. Perhaps it's the fact that our young students do some amazing growing up in the two weeks they spend with us. Or maybe it's a combination of all of these things. Whatever it is, it's something special.
Now please excuse me if it sounds like I'm tooting our Birch Creek horn (no pun intended) but I think we need more places like Birch Creek. These are the kinds of places that change people's lives. These are the kinds of places that unify people around a good cause and break down some of the distractions that separate and divide us. Yes, we work hard here and our workdays are very long. We stay up late and get up early and yet our students provide us with an energy that keeps us going.
A few weeks ago, I purchased my 2011 calendar and like our young student, one of the first things I did was to mark the dates I'll spend in Door County. I didn't use bright colors like she did (I'm a guy and guys don't usually do this sort of thing) but I'm already looking forward to spending another summer in this wonderful place. Stop by. We're having a wonderful time.
