Late last night my dd12 got back from camp visiting day.  This is the third year my dd14 has been to sleep away camp, and the last two years the entire family went to visit her.  I told her this year that I wasn’t going to go, since it’s a five hour drive and it’s too much for the family with the three littles in tow.  She said she didn’t mind, and I know she meant it.

But her younger sister and she are very close, so all last week dd12 was working on arrangements to get there to visit her.  It’s not so simple since it’s so far away, and no one we spoke to was going directly there.  Most were spending Shabbos in an area closer to the camp, and most were also not coming directly back for the same reason.  She found out that a friend of hers in NY who has an older sister in dd’s bunk would be going for visiting day, and they were happy to give her a ride from NY with them.  They live two blocks from my sister in law, so she made arrangements with my inlaws to go together with them for Shabbos to her aunt’s house (leaving her Thursday morning).  She spent Shabbos there, and went first thing Sunday  morning to her friend’s house (who was in camp).  Then coming home, we found a family from our city who was coming directly back who brought her.

Dd14’s friends couldn’t believe that she made all that effort just to come see her sister – they said half in disbelief, “You must really like your sister!”  It’s true, she really does.  Dd14 really appreciated her coming; she called me in the evening yesterday because she was feeling homesick, but said it would have been much worse if dd12 hadn’t come.  I think that’s the nature of visiting day – when you see everyone’s family visiting them but yours isn’t there, it makes you miss them more. 

My talk with her last night wasn’t very satisfying because she called me from her supervisor’s cell phone, and because campers aren’t supposed to be using cell phones, she was speaking very quickly and quietly so no one would hear her.  But it was nice to hear her voice – I don’t think it mattered if the conversation was meaningful or not because all she wanted was to connect with us. 

Whenever one of the kids is gone, it feels like something is missing.  It’s nice to have dd12 back with us (even though no one but dh and I have seen her yet – she got back after everyone was asleep).   For once she’s sleeping in – usually she’s the first one up in the morning! 

Avivah