We recently went on our first camping trip since COVID hit. We had forgotten how to do almost everything. Where does this tent pole go? What did we once pack for dinner? How much ice goes in the ice chest? Thank goodness I keep lists!

Once we got there and figured out which end was up, however, the days were filled with small moments brimming with grace. Conversations with longtime friends who we have seen infrequently since they moved away. Sharing tips about how to bake a campfire potato. Do you boil corn on the cob or roast it? Hilarious games. Competitive games. Lots of games.

Then there were hypnotic late-night campfires. That steaming first cup of coffee from my old stovetop coffee pot. The satisfying sizzle of bacon cooked over the fire. Towering redwoods. A woodpecker nest and the chatter of children who had found a banana slug. The sweet memories of past camping trips when our girls were young.  Singing worship songs in the open air.

Few things are at once as exhausting and exhilarating as camping with friends. It felt like summer. Before long the grace I find in fall will be upon us.