Maybe You Will Hate Me for This

I don't intend for the general public to understand what I am trying to convey with this post. If you have not had an experience like mine, I'm afraid you will never understand.

For the past four summers of my life, I went to a church camp called EFY. EFY is for kids 14-18 years old. As I will be 19 next summer, this past EFY was my last one.

On the last night of the last EFY, all of the counselors sang us the theme song of the year. Then we sang something called the "EFY Medley." Traditionally, everyone puts their arms around each other when you sing the Medley on Friday. So my group was doing that. And I was looking at all these kids who I had only known for a week and I was crying my eyeballs out. I wanted to sing but could not, such were my tears. I love those kids. I miss them.

I was very full of a lot of feelings that night. I was so happy but I could not stop crying. I hugged so many people. I ran from person to person, hugging them and telling them that I love them. I ran into a girl named Sydney and I hugged her and we were both crying and I looked her in he eye and I was holding her shoulders and I said, "Sydney, your Heavenly Father loves you. You are His daughter. He loves you. Don't ever forget that." And I hugged her again. And I told her that I loved her.

Then I ran into this girl Allie. She gave me a pin with whales on it and I knew that that meant something, even if you don't. And we cried and hugged. And I said that I loved her.

And I saw a counselor Algot. Earlier that night in joking with him, I inadvertently hurt his feelings. So I went up to him with tears running down my face and I hugged him so tight. And he grabbed the sides of my head, and I grabbed the sides of his head, and our foreheads were pressed against each other. And I was crying even harder. And he said, "Don't worry about it, buddy. It's all okay." And in that moment we were brothers. And I told him that I loved him.

In the closing prayer that night, the guy giving the prayer asked our Heavenly Father to bless the Youth. Glory be to the God who loves us. Because He honestly does love us.

That night I understood Jesus Christ more than I have any other night of my life. I can honestly say that I love all 300 or so people that were in that room. I cannot name them. Nor do I remember many of their names. In fact, if I saw some of them on the street, I probably couldn't point them out. But I know that I love them.

Maybe you find all of this shallow and irrational.
But it's so true.




I just finished The Notebook for the first time tonight. I watched it with my Dad. When it was over he said, "Now that's about as tender a love story as there ever was, don't you think?"

I said yes, that it was.