The Luckiest Day

Friday, June 19, started like any other day at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center.

Cars rolled through the drop-off line. Campers gathered with counselors and new friends. Water bottles and backpacks formed familiar piles around the gathering area. Camp songs about sardines, black socks, and a moose with juice filled the morning air. Announcements were made: stay hydrated, be kind, and get excited for s'mores around the fire later in the day.

After an overnight rain, the woods seemed especially alive. Campers headed off to their activities, including a group of ten young anglers at Long Lake.

The geese were active. The fish were hungry. Counselors stayed busy baiting hooks and helping campers celebrate each catch.

Then one camper reeled in another fish, looked up with a huge smile, and declared, "This is my luckiest day!"

No one rushed to correct him.

Because maybe he was right.

Not because of the fish, but because he was spending a summer morning outdoors with friends, learning something new, connecting with nature and not a device, and making memories that will last long after camp ends.

At Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, we hope campers leave with more than fish stories and s'mores memories. We hope they leave with a sense of belonging, confidence, and connection to the world around them.

And on that Friday morning at Long Lake, one camper reminded us that sometimes the luckiest days are the simplest ones. Maybe it really was the luckiest day. Around here, many of them are.