Last weekend I had the pleasure of volunteering at the (VERY FIRST) M&B Winter Camp in Haliburton.  Overall, it was extremely exhausting but so much fun.  I’m glad I got to be a part of something really…special.

The kids at the camp all shared one thing in common: someone close to them died or was dying.  For most of them, it was a mom or dad.  Some of the loved ones died of cancer, others of brain tumours, and some of accidental death.  The purpose of camp was to give the children a chance to meet others in the same boat, so they don’t feel so alone.  While there were some activities around grief, we got to do “normal” camp activities like tobogganing, cross-country skiing, crafts & games and my favourite…

During the “workshops” on grief, kids could choose and activity to do.  In one station, each child got a teddy bear.  We opened up the stitches on the belly of the bear and inserted pieces of paper with messages to their loved ones.  Then, we sewed the teddies back up.

In another station, kids got to get down and messy making “tear soup”.  Using ingredients like leftover mashed potatoes, spaghetti, chocolate sauce, glitter etc to symbolize ” emories like the good times and the bad times, the silly and the sad times”, kids added the stuff into a huge pot to make the soup.  It was quite a sight and smell.

During the “campfire” (aka indoor fireplace simulation version), kids got to display their talent for dancing, singing, joke telling through performing in front of their peers.  Somehow, I got roped into playing guitar for “Let it be” – Beatles.  But the most special moment for me was when one of the girls in my group sang a duet with a counsellor.

Seated in front of the glowing fireplace, M & R sang M’s parents’ wedding song.  M dedicated it to her dad, who had died.  If I had a top 10 list of the sweetest most touching moments of my life, it would be on that list…It was so beautiful.

Dealing with grief is no easy business.  Luckily with kids, they don’t usually dwell on things like adults do.  They tend to think about something, get distracted, think about it again.  However, a couple of my girls did cry during a grief session…and I didn’t know what to do.  (Thankfully, a more experience counsellor picked up my camper and held her as she cried).

Sometimes we forget what we have until we lose it.  This weekend reminded me of how precious life is, how important family is, and how much God loves and cares for each and every one of his children.