Sing Around The Campfire

"You have to believe it to achieve it."

As far back as I can remember, my family spent our summer vacations at my grandparents retreat near Rehoboth Beach, DE. The clam shell semi-circle driveway is barely recognizable, and now there is a double wide where the silver travel trailer once stood.  Gone is the metal roof that covered the screen porch we used to sleep within on those summer nights. However, the memories remain. I call that file cabinet in the attic of my mind, my happy place. 

For years whenever I was having a bad day, or just bored, I would travel back to those carefree days. There was a point in my life when I traveled often to that quiet setting, and recalled the joy that filled my soul when we visited. Probably my favorite part of those by-gone days was the nightly ritual of roasting marshmallows. I still love a good campfire.

I was given a copy of the book, "The Secret" and in the content I recall having read that if we imagine ourselves doing the very thing we believe we should have manifest in our lives, that it will come to be.  I wonder, is that why I was led to Vision Quest Morning Star Youth Academy?

My version is that I was willing to be used, molded and humbled to be and do what my creator needed.  It is true that this setting often reminds me of those days in Angola (DE). 

It never occurred to me that I would come to a place where I would be involved with horses.  Admittedly, I don't have a great deal of interaction with them, but I've acquired a strong appreciation for the therapeutic value they offer to the teens we serve. 

I read somewhere that horses represent family. Each herd has a hierarchy like we humans have. Over the past 2 1/2 years I have met approximately 150 young males, and have watched the change in dynamics at the camp as "the boys" come and go. 

Recently, we have also had a change in horse "personnel."  The change occurred at a time when our organization embraced Sanctuary, a therapeutic model created to reach the core of all individuals (youth and staff), and gain understanding into why our actions/reactions developed.  

Each day when we gather (in meetings, or groups) we identify how we are feeling and what our goal is for that day. The hope is that we can help each other learn what triggers we have, and more specifically, help the teenagers develop better strategies for navigating the obstacles in their lives.

We all face obstacles. We all need direction. I believe that once we decide where we want to go, if we meditate on being in that place, somewhere down the road we'll find ourselves in that place ... even if only for a moment in time.

Be careful what you hope for, you just might get it.  Happy Trails.