Fifty Years Later…….

Then: Summer of '63 at Sunnybrook Baptist Camp, Echo Lake, Pennsylvania
Now: July 26-28, 2013, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Then: We went by car…our parents' cars.
Now: We went by cars, planes, and trains.

Then: We numbered 30.
Now: We number 27, (as far as we know..three still missing.)

Then: We were teenagers.
Now: We are on Medicare.

Then: We became SSPPs that summer.
Now: We are STILL SSPPs of '63!

Then: We were in high school or about to enter college.
Now: We are working or retired.

Then: We were sons and daughters and sisters and brothers and grandsons and granddaughters.
Now: We are wives and husbands and exes and mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and grandmothers and grandfathers.

Then: We worked in the canteen, and kitchen, and laundry and Cabin 10. We drove and guarded the lives and washed dishes and pots and pans and ironed pillowcases and drove the trucks and went to the dump and made camp run!
Now: We are (or have been) teachers, ministers, nurses, and business people, just to name a few areas in which we've served.

Then: We were dating, flirting, sneaking into the boys' place, swimming, playing tennis, boating, playing the piano, singing, floating fireworks out on the lake, making friends, and trying to be accepted!
Now: We are golfing, bowling, boating, reading, playing the piano, cooking, creating, gardening, searching for seaglass, traveling, keeping our friends, and trying to accept others. We volunteer in assisted living facilities, churches, prisons, and rehab programs, just to name a few.

Then: We ate anything we wanted!
Now: We read labels, look at cholesterol and fiber count, try to eat more fruits and vegetables, and feel guilty when we eat what we want!

Then: We earned $10 a week.
Now: Those of us still working, we hope it's more than that! If we're retired, we hope it won't run out!

Then: We had Brownie Starflash cameras and had to call our parents "collect"!
Now: We have personal computers, cell phones, IPods, and IPads, and kids have no idea what calling "collect" even means!

Then: "Fifty years from now" seemed eons away.
Now: "Fifty years ago" seems like yesterday.

Then: We cried when we left.
Now: We cried when we left.