Disaster Averted, Memories Made

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Amazing Yagilu stories aren’t limited to the two months of Camp Yagilu. Throughout the year, parents reach out to share incredible stories where their teens demonstrate either Yagilu skills or Yagilu spirits. I love hearing these stories, which really bring home how impactful the summer really was. Here’s one story a parent shared:

Off To a Rough Start

The family had planned a weeklong family vacation in the Midwest right after camp. They got a good deal on a rented house, packed up the car, and drove up. Pulling into the driveway close to sunset, everyone began unloading the car and bringing suitcases inside. Once inside, though, they discovered that there was no electricity in the house! That meant no light, no heat, and no running water! After trying unsuccessfully to get in touch with the owner of the house, the family had to decide what to do. Normally, this situation would send everyone back into the car to find a motel for the night until everything was worked out over at the house. But that’s not the way the oldest kids in the family, 3 boys fresh out of a month in Yagilu (one a counselor, one a JC, and one a first-year camper), saw it. To them, this was an exciting challenge that they were more than equipped to handle! They whipped out their headlamps and pocketknives and got to work. In no time, they had a fire going in the fireplace with a nice-sized woodpile to keep it going and some water drawn for hand-washing from a stream in the area. By the next morning, the electricity was taken care of, and the vacation continued without a hitch.

Sibling Synergy

The parents pointed out something really special. As with every family, siblings are sometimes prone to fighting. In this situation, though, the parents noticed a really special sense of teamwork.  Everyone worked together and contributed to what needed to get done. That’s amazing!
To me, what stood out was the confidence these teens had when attacking a difficult problem. They recognized that they had the skills to tackle the challenge, and really rose to the occasion to help their family!
Any story that involves fire and knives on the one hand, and teamwork, problem-solving, and camaraderie on the other, is one for the history books. Thanks so much for sharing!

Share Your Stories!

Does your family have a similar story? What would you have done if this had happened to you? We love hearing from you-be in touch!

Learning From the Trees

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Ever feel like you’ve just hit a dead end? That you could be so successful, if just for that one thing standing in your way? What can you do to move past, to succeed?

From the Forest Itself…

I recently heard a fantastical Medrish: When Hashem created the trees, they began stretching higher and higher. So high, in fact, that they became proud. “Look at us,” they said. “We’re the tallest things around! What could possibly knock us down?” Then Hashem created iron, and they became nervous. The iron, formed into an ax, could cut them down! Noticing their anxiety, the iron pointed out to the trees: “Why should we make you nervous? As long as you don’t allow yourself to be used as a handle, we can’t hurt you!” (Bereishis Rabba 5:10).

Understanding the Lesson

What’s the meaning of this Medrish? Are we supposed to understand that this ‘conversation’ happened and make a note in the history books that trees used to talk to iron? This Medrish teaches us an important lesson. Problems often seem to come from outside ourselves and stop us in our tracks. In reality, though, we are the ones who will decide whether something grows and flourishes, or whether it is toppled prematurely. If we decide to focus on solutions rather than problems, we’ll find ourselves growing higher and higher, despite whatever difficulties present themselves to us!

Can’t Stop Me!

This idea shows up in camp all the time. Here’s one example: What happens when it starts raining and you’re outside? Most of the time, you run for cover, dodging raindrops and praying that you don’t get soaked. Once you’re inside, you wait around for the rain to stop. You’re trapped by the rain! But ask a Yagilu camper what do we do when it rains, and you’ll get a different response. You’ll hear an enthusiastic, “We get wet!” We decide not to let the rain hold us back from working, accomplishing, and enjoying. And that’s it.

The message doesn’t deny that situations are difficult. Of course problems come up and we need to deal with them. In the Medrish, iron formed into an axe head is objectively sharp. The point is that it only has the power to chop down a tree when the tree provides a handle. Think of a tough situation you’re in right now: carpools for the upcoming school year aren’t coming together, kids never seem to be able to get along without fighting, or you never get a chance to take some time for yourself to recharge.

Just One Thing

What’s one thing you can do right now that can take the bite out of the issue? One text message, a positive comment to the kids, or a super-quick, 5-minute break from the daily routine? As long as you’re still working towards a solution, you can be happy. You’re not letting the problem stop you. You won’t give the iron a handle that would make it an axe.

Change the Frame

Even something as basic as reframing an issue can itself be the solution! Reframing means taking something that you see in one way and try to put it “in a different frame,” or look at it in a different, more positive way. For us in Yagilu, reframing transforms a rainstorm from something to flee from, to something to ignore or even enjoy. It’s not a disaster, it’s a refreshing cooldown while we continue with our activities.

Whatever it takes, learn from the trees. Don’t give the ‘iron’ in your life the handle it needs to bring you down!