Jun 14, 2008
Sitting at the lake today, looking at a crowded beach front. Sandcastles being built, kayaks scooting about, people relaxing in the sun on a Muskoka chair. I am happy. My dream was right there in front of me. Something I had considered a whimsical thought once was so very real. I remember the first spring so many years (5) ago, only 8 school groups maybe 300 students. Now 2008, we will have close to 2000 students and over 30 schools. We are still growing.
When I first thought of the 22 day challenge I compared it the idea of the creation of our camp. There were some doubters, some supporters and a lot of people that reserved their comments. I had tried a couple of times to start the challenge before and come up short, way short.
This time I stuck to it, and now that I am on day 20 I feel great. I figure I have accomplished 95% of the challenge, a few little challenges on the route. One thing I discovered is the support of real friends, those that care. One of the big parts of the 22 day challenge was to let go of the things and people that hold me back from being the person that I truly want to be.
I have done that and I have never felt so free. We tend to hold onto people, places, times in our past that we wish we could experience again, went a different way or even didn’t happen or met at all. I held on to a few of those “things” and it hurt me. I now feel free.
I am surprised how much I have grown in such a short period of time. Thanks to all of those who have sent me support and encouragement. I will continue to grow as the camp will. When you find our what works and what is truly important then anything is possible.
I have to run, I have to judge the sandcastle contest!
Posted by Stu Saunders in Motivation on Jun 14, 2008 at 9:05 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (4)
Comment posted on Jun 15, 2008 at 9:07 am by PhillyD (YLCC Member)
Big Love Jackson. I am bringing a couple things your way to celebrate your big achievment. I love it.
To celebrate and honour your challenge I will participate in the Manitoba Marathon today. I will run with the spirit of your success.
Happy Fathers Day Stu.
Comment posted on Jun 16, 2008 at 11:04 am by Montaha Jomaa (YLCC Guest)
Hello everyone at YLCC. I just wanted to send you Stu, a personal thank you for the inspirtion and direction that you have given my son, Jamal. I am sure you heard this weekend that he has recieved acceptance to Ivey!!!! I am teary just thinking about it. YLCC had a hand in that. Everyone has taught Jamal so much…....about being a leader, a team player, setting goals and achieveing them (reach for the sky!). I don’t believe in coincendences and in the big plan of things, Jamal was suppost to find YLCC to help him on his journey.
I am eternally grateful to everyone who he has come in contact with through his YLCC experience. The staff will always be members of our extended family.
Much love and blessings to each and everyone one of you. I will miss seeing everyone this year, as will Jamal.
Have a wonderful summer, and please if you are in london look us up.
Warmly and Respectfully
Montaha Jomaa
Comment posted on Jun 16, 2008 at 1:32 pm by Pamlamb (YLCC Member)
Stu I am very proud of you, and I never say it enough, thank you, I love you, and I think you are doing truly amazing things. You are a great role model in my life and so much more than that, and the fact that you continue to re-evaluate your life and make changes is something truly extraordinary! It is a great privilege to work for you and thank you for making me take time each day to journal and think about who I am and not about who others are!
PamLamb
Comment posted on Jun 17, 2008 at 6:13 am by Lingta Lee (YLCC Guest)
I want to thank Stu, Trish and all the great staff at YLCC. I especially want to thank Richard Jessome for introducing our family to YLCC. We just came back from our second Family Camp weekend. We had a fantastic time!!! Plus the food was terrific (thanks Derek!). You know you are going to be fed well when your daughter sits down to dinner on Friday night and says “I love camp food!!!”
Family Camp is not just for kids. I reconnected with old friends and made some new friends this year. I also wanted to challenge myself too. Right now, I am a 48 year old mom (soon to be 49) who is totally terrified of heights (it’s all in the mind, you know!). Last year, I decided to go off the zip line (I figured it would probably be the lowest one I would ever come across). After climbing the pole, it took me about another 10 minutes of sitting on that platform before I got the courage to zip down. Well, I did it and it was exhilarating. I then tried the rock climbing wall. I wanted to quit half way up. The staff helping out told me that it was ok to stop but they asked me to do one more thing for them. They wanted me to take just one more step. With their guidance, I listened to them and trusted myself. Because of that one step, I ended up going all the way to the top of the rocking wall!
This year at Family Camp, my goal was to go up the pole and come down the zip line right away, no waiting. To my horror, the zip line was not an option. It’s no longer there!!! I now had a choice of the multi-vines or the trust jump. If you have ever seen those two rope options, it’s not what you would ever pick as your next challenge. I decided that I was really going to step outside of my comfort zone and try the multi-vine. My son was amazed that at one point I had 5 ropes in my hands at the same time. Well, I went all the way across and touched the pole on the other side. Thanks to Aaron for making me feel so safe way up there on that wire.
Next, I decided to try the trust jump. After watching lots of people complete this jump both last year and this year, I figured now was the time for me to do something even more out of my element. I did this jump not only for myself but for all of the other people who always stay on the sidelines, just watching. One saying I love is, “how you do anything, is how you do everything.” How many times had I just watched from the sidelines? This weekend, my challenge to some of the other adults around me was to at least put the climbing harness on. Even if they took one step at any rope option, they were climbing. Of course, you know that I completed my goal. Thanks to Pam, who kept the trust jump open for me (the last jumper).
For those of you who are not familiar with YLCC, I would highly recommend it for your kids. After discovering how fantastic YLCC was from trying out Family Camp last year, I sent my daughter (who had just completed grade 9) to camp for one week last summer (it was the only week that I could fit her into from our busy schedule). She came back a completely different person. This year she has stepped out of her own comfort zone. She was selected as her school’s grade 10 representative to attend a 3 day leadership conference this past May. She became a ski instructor, she signed up to work towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award, she is going to Italy for one month this summer to complete a Grade 11 credit in history and she has volunteered for the Link Crew at her school this fall (they act as a liaison to welcome in all of the new grade 9’s). Of course, she is coming back to YLCC to take an Outtripper program this summer. She will be joined by her two brothers who are going into grades 6 and 8. I am excited for both boys but in particular, I am really excited for the one who is going into grade 8. I wanted to set him up to have a fantastic last year of elementary school. YLCC is such a wonderful environment to impress upon our kids as to how truly empowered they are “to dream, to dare, to do!”
PS. Thanks Stu for giving my son and his friend “The Most Creative Use of Sand” award during the sandcastle building competition. It’s funny that you should write about your dream being right in front of you while looking at the crowd on the YLCC beach front this past weekend. I also remember looking up and feeling so blessed to be part of this happy and content group of adults and kids working and playing together amongst the sandcastles on the beach. Keeping dreaming Stu!!!
Warmly,
Lingta Lee (mom of Sydney, Spencer and Connor)