The word “give” to me has one of the longest definitions I have stumbled across in quite a while. When you think about it, the word “give” is in so many conversations with a wide range of topics.

We’ve all used one or many of these sayings:

“Give till it hurts!”
“Give it all you’ve got!”
“To give is better than to receive!”
“Give them a round of applause!”

We’ve given antibiotics, a voice, a chance, a reason for one thing or the other in life. Given the circumstances, given the season or any given Sunday, life can change in an instant. And when it does, we have the stellar opportunity to “Give someone a break!”

That is the world that I hear in my head when I think about things that move me to this point in my life, I decide to give you a piece of my mind, and hope that in doing so it gives you something to reflect about. So, I will if possible, cut back on the word “give” as I continue to write. But if you take a moment to think about all the possibilities the word holds, you will start to follow my thought process.

The word as a verb is a constant presence in almost every day of our life, yet we don’t see it, or feel it, even as we are doing it. “Okay, give—what’s that all about?”

Verb: Freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone).

So, I am not going to focus on the word “transfer” as the action word of giving, but instead the word “freely”. There are so many organizations that are out there that you can offer up your time, money, prayers, efforts to that it can be overwhelming. In my humble experience, giving in any measure is a joy if it is something that you have deep feelings for. Works of others that you want to rally behind, contribute to and promote. It fills you up the more you put out. I have also found, the deeper you dig, the deeper you want to go. And suddenly you are talking to strangers with a passion about giving!

The word “give” to me has one of the longest definitions I have stumbled across in quite a while. When you think about it, the word “give” is in so many conversations with a wide range of topics.

We’ve all used one or many of these sayings:

“Give till it hurts!”

“Give it all you’ve got!”

“To give is better than to receive!”

“Give them a round of applause!”

We’ve given antibiotics, a voice, a chance, a reason for one thing or the other in life. Given the circumstances, given the season or any given Sunday, life can change in an instant. And when it does, we have the stellar opportunity to “Give someone a break!”

That is the world that I hear in my head when I think about things that move me to this point in my life, I decide to give you a piece of my mind, and hope that in doing so it gives you something to reflect about. So I will, if possible, cut back on the word “give” as I continue to write. But if you take a moment to think about all the possibilities the word holds, you will start to follow my thought process.

The word as a verb is a constant presence in almost every day of our life, yet we don’t see it, or feel it, even as we are doing it. “Okay, give—what’s that all about?”

Verb: Freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone).

So, I am not going to focus on the word “transfer” as the action word of giving, but instead the word “freely”. There are so many organizations that are out there that you can offer up your time, money, prayers, efforts to that it can be overwhelming. In my humble experience, giving in any measure is a joy if it is something that you have deep feelings for. Works of others that you want to rally behind, contribute to and promote. It fills you up the more you put out. I have also found, the deeper you dig, the deeper you want to go. And suddenly you are talking to strangers with a passion about giving!

I started my promotion of YMCA Camp Hanes in King, NC almost four years ago. I was blessed to have the means to send my children to this camp, way out in the rolling foothills of North Carolina. I had heard so many great things about the camp, and almost every one seemed to know about it. Even my local grocery store clerks and baggers would exclaim to me with pride and glee if it came up in conversation that they were proud paddle owners and previous “Camp Hanians!”

I had a shy 10-year-old, that had gone only once before to an extended camp in Georgia the year prior, and that wasn’t the dream experience I had hoped for. He left grip marks on my back as he hugged me the first time we saw each other a week later. In that moment he had never loved me more!

When we discussed Camp Hanes to him, the selling point was the close proximity to home and all the wonderful stories I had heard. Would he be willing to give another camp a try? Yes! And I am so glad he did because it changed his life. His whole demeanor changed in that week away. I dropped off a loner and picked up a team player. In stark contrast to the previous camp, he lingered telling his cabin mates good bye, laughing at their inside jokes, dawdling to finally exit the cabin. Quickly wiping away the tears  and hiding his disappointment from us that he was truly upset at the thought of having to go home.

Camp Hanes is the example of the definition of giving, the verb. They freely transferred belief in my son that he could speak up, speak out and be heard. More importantly, he gained confidence, and the ability to engage openly without hesitation or fear of what others may think of him. For the first time in his life he truly knew that he was accepted by a cabin full of loners that in the course of one week, became a pack of friends. I knew within moments of starting the car, Camp Hanes had changed him because all he could talk about nonstop was going back next year as we pulled out of the camp to go home.

Verb: cause or allow (someone or something) to have (something, especially something abstract); provide or supply with.

It is the season of the “Annual Giving Campaign” at YMCA’s Camp Hanes. My story is so wonderful to me, because it’s my story but it is just a mere drop in the bucket compared to the many stories I have heard about the effects of Camp Hanes on children. Funny things about drops, they cause ripples, and those ever reaching, far spreading effects are felt on and on and on. Every spring since that first summer James attended camp I have held an open house at my home for other’s interested in learning more about Camp Hanes, and the philosophy behind the “Send a Kid to Camp” campaign.

By donating to this wonderful camp, you provide the means for children to experience something wonderful, that will have that same ripple effect on their lives. I would like to think that it is a one-way street, that I have given so much to them because I am such a generous person…lol…that’s hysterical! It is actually quite the opposite. I have been given the blessing ten times over by the people I have met through Camp Hanes, the experiences I have watched unfold, and the lives…including mine, that have been changed by this place. God’s blessings are present on every face, every tree, every day. You can’t help but to feel it in the air.

Verb: used hyperbolically to express how greatly one wants to have or do something.

Watching sadly another coverage of another school shooting makes my heart break for the children, the parents, the teachers and the entire community surrounding it. It also makes me wonder to myself about the individuals that unleash these horrific acts of violence against innocent souls. Would having the opportunity to go to a camp like Camp Hanes have made a difference?

Would one of the empathetic, intuitive, spirit filled, all inclusive counselors have noticed something everyone had maybe seen before, but ignored. At one of the night time bonfires, would God have stirred their hearts to be able to share their pain, release their anger in words not weapons? Maybe, no will ever know for certain what would have made that tiny ripples worth of difference in someone’s life. But I can tell you this, kids need camp right now more than ever. If ever there was a camp that could make that ripple, it would be YMCA’s Camp Hanes.

Another form of the verb usage of giving is to bestow, which makes me automatically think of giving a gift to someone. By going to this link https://www.camphanes.org/give/ you can find out how easy it is to give the gift of camp to a child that is so deserving, but their current situation prevents the ability to pay. The blessing you put in motion by participating in this fund raising drive can only come back to you in good favor.

Your donations provide scholarships to Camp Hanes that are given out by employers to deserving employees, schools to deserving students, or everyday people…just like you, and especially me….People out there who have spent countless hours doing whatever they can do for others with glad hands and with joy in their hearts.

Life is topsy-turvy and it only takes but one or two difficult, unexpected circumstances to throw you for a loop. Suddenly you are suffering through a set back of sorts, and camp has to be weighed against the realities of life. You are put in a situation that is beyond your children’s comprehension, and this is the hard part of life you had hoped to shield them from, the storms we all so desperately to shelter them from.

There is absolutely nothing as heart breaking as disappointing your child for adult reasons they can’t help control, or truly understand. “Adulting” is so hard, and sometimes it’s downright painful. I believe, and have for a very long time now, that God created places like Camp Hanes and the people that are dedicated to working there for that very reason. To be a strong unwavering shelter in the storms of life for your family.

Verb: communicate or impart (a message) to (someone).

This gift you are giving, dedicating, consigning or entrusting will have a lasting effect on the worthy recipient. On so many levels it restores the faith of the greater good, fills empty spirits with abundant love, teaches that God is indeed good, all of the time, for everyone, not just a fortunate few.

Your gift of a donation to the “Send a Kid to Camp” campaign has the ability to change one person’s direction in life. I think it is so very easy to see all the problems in the world and be overwhelmed by them. You think to yourself, how can I make a difference in the overall magnitude of chaos and discord. I know, it is daunting, but I am asking each and every one of you considering donation to this campaign to remember this quote by Edward Everett Hale…

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

Thank you…God Bless you all. I will visit you soon as we explore the noun in Part 2.

~ Kimberly