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© 2010 Oprah’s Angel Network. All rights reserved. Photos on this site are individually copyrighted.
Oprah’s Angel Network®, Angel Network™ and
O Ambassadors® are trademarks of Oprah’s Angel Network.
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Your grandmother sent me to summer camp for 3 years in the month of August, decades ago on the East Coast. As I reflect on those years, I don’t actually remember her discussing with me her reason for sending me but I do know it was a wise decision. I’d guess a few of her reasons were for me to have a purpose and not just sit around during the summer months doing nothing while she was working, to learn independence and be less clingy [which I was], to be self-sufficient [camp requires you to make your bed and clean up daily, care for your clothes, etc.], and to learn to cultivate new friendships and participate in group activities [which I did]. I don’t know what other character building traits she wanted me to develop, however, after 3 years of the summer camp experience, I think I learned what she hoped for and more. I learned to appreciate nature and meeting new friends from different parts of the U.S., to experience different sports and enjoy the comfort of a campfire (nothing like singing in front of a campfire under the moon), and to appreciate life experiences outside of my immediate family. So, when you reached the same age, I gave you that same experience on the West Coast, and it seems you loved it as much as I did mine.
Tracey’s “Mom”