Submitted PhotoI took this picture of the cross, mussel shell and work gloves before I left heading back from our work weekend at Camp Bratton-Green. The crosses were made by the Youth of the Episcopal Church in Mississippi (DOY) using reclaimed wood from the cabins that are being remodeled. The DOY made one for each volunteer that helps with the ongoing renovation project at CBG. I found the mussel shell while walking by the lake, and I never start any project without my work gloves. Seeing the three together was a beautiful reminder of the spiritual, natural and physical elements of a wonderful weekend outdoors.

 

“Where is our pleasure but in working and resting kindly in the presence of this world?” -Wendell Berry

As I drove along the curvy back roads of Leake and Attala counties, I occasionally caught a glimpse of the beautiful golden-tinged full moon in my side-view mirrors. It disappeared and reappeared from time to time, its brightness giving me the sense that I suddenly had a car behind me. It was as if I were playing a game of hide and seek with the stunning orb.

I thought about the work that lay ahead the next day. In a way, I longed for it, longed to be outside working with my hands, having spent the prior week logging hundreds of miles of windshield time behind the wheel of my car for work.

A group from my church was headed to Camp Bratton-Green, near Canton, for a work weekend to help with the ongoing renovations at the camp. I was eager to be outdoors, and the forecast for Saturday and Sunday looked amazing.

Having never been to Bratton-Green, my mind was adrift, wondering what to expect. I had often heard my nephew, Billy, talk about CBG with great affection. As I drove along, my thoughts turned to my first summer camp experience.

I’m not exactly sure how old I was, but in my mind’s eye, I was in middle school and I was headed to 4-H Camp near Sardis Lake.

It was what you would envision as a typical summer camp — cabins without air-conditioning, a large dining and recreation hall and a central open area for baseball or kickball or whatever summer activity the counselors had planned. In other words, it was perfect!

Random memories filled my mind, including names of other campers like “Big Tanner” and “Little Tanner” and the memory of a snake crawling up the door of the boys’ bathhouse.

I also thought of the volunteers who helped staff the camp, especially a younger man that had taken a week’s vacation from his job at the phone company to help.

His name was Doug, and the fact that he had used his vacation, volunteering to help with a group of kids (none of whom were his) stood out to me even at that early age. As I have grown older, it has become even clearer to me that one of the greatest gifts that we can give to others is the gift of our time.

I’ve often mentioned in my articles the importance and impact of being a mentor. I truly believe that volunteering our time holds that same importance.

The opportunity to join the work weekend had been mentioned by Father Walton in church for a few weeks, and it was clear that he was passionate about Camp Bratton-Green. One morning, my daily devotional was about serving others, and it ended with this question: “What can you say ‘yes’ to today?” I immediately knew the answer.

Arriving at camp Friday night, I headed in to meet Nat Duncan, who was leading the work crews that weekend. After stowing my things in my room, I came back downstairs to await the various groups’ arrival.

Later that evening, we sat visiting, and those of us that had never been to the camp listened to stories from previous CBG summer experiences. Listening to the conversations and talking with Nat that night made it clear that breathing new life into the weathered camp had become his mission. It was a much-needed project and one he had said “yes” to with a smile on his face.

I fell asleep that night listening to the sounds of geese on the nearby lake and thinking about all the great experiences that I had over my years as a young man at summer camp. None of those would have been possible without the volunteers that sacrificed their time and gave of their talents to make them happen.

Early the next morning, Nat gave us our assignments, and we busied our hands with the work of restoring the camp and readying it for the summer campers to come. It was a pleasure working with new friends, getting to know them better and hearing their stories as we worked.

That night, after I had washed away the dirt and grime from the work of the day and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and a time of fellowship with friends, I settled in for the evening listening again to the music of the geese on the lake.

I awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed and well-rested than I have felt in quite some time. Clearly, I need to work that hard more often! After breakfast, we cleaned and tidied our work sites, had a beautiful time of worship in the CBG chapel and loaded up to head our separate ways.

Driving away, I looked one last time at the various projects we had accomplished over the weekend. It was a good feeling, working with your hands and giving back to a place that has given so much to so many.

Make time this week to say “yes” to someone or some project that needs your help, and until next time, I look forward to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.

Email outdoors columnist Brad Dye at braddye@comcast.net.