From the editor ...

Hanging feet off the dock and splashing water at one another.

Nudging a canoe companion to take a look at deer nibbling grass on the shore.

Playing “ha” on the floor of the activity hall and bursting into peals of laughter.

Gazing at a rosy sunset reflected in still water.

Singing rounds while perched on logs around a crackling bonfire.

Trudging a dark path by the light of a bouncing flash trained on a friend ahead.

Church youth retreats and Girl Scout camp experiences blend in my memory, never failing to call up a feeling of gratification. Those times away from the wearying crunch of normal teen routine had at their center a wild place.

I visited Grace Point for the first time recently. It was a misty, chilly day, quiet but for raindrops plopping on the water and geese honking not far away. Vicar Bo Lewis showed me around, describing the history and features of the property and future plans for what has become the diocesan camp and retreat center.

He told me stories about some of the people who have visited there, including how a refugee child whose ability to gut a fish, among other life-honed survival skills, became one of the most popular kids at camp; how a washed-out bridge was rebuilt on a Sunday morning within a few hours by friendly neighbors who had access to heavy equipment and gravel; and how his young granddaughters jumped from the family car to dash to the cross at the point yelling, “Good morning, God!” because that was what they did every day at camp.

He told me that he believes kids – and adults – today absolutely require a place to which they can retreat from the world, where the grass is not perfectly groomed and the animals aren’t confined in fences. Where batteries can be recharged and life paths reoriented through the beauty and stillness of a wild place. Where God can speak to hearts and be heeded.

If you haven’t seen this treasure of the diocese, call Bo Lewis (567-1159). He loves to show it off.

— Sharon Rasmussen