Year End – Year Out!
Several things are on my mind as I sit down to write: this is the last issue of the 21st season of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth; in the new year, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sundance (our biggest event of the year); we’re working on a year-end appeal for CAMP Rehoboth; and word has just come that a dear, sweet friend has died. Unrelated? I don’t think so. Everything on that list has to do with either a beginning or an ending.
Life is full of beginnings and endings, isn’t it? As we come to the end of one year, another one begins; we can’t help but experience this passage of time as a stepping stone between what is and what will be. As we cope with the dying of a loved one, there comes an inevitable introspection that causes us to celebrate life with a new intensity.
My friend once wrote a poem for me: “Butterflies are beautiful to see,” it begins. “They raise the spirit and make us think of eternity.” Miriam always raised my spirits; even in her dying I am inspired by the depth of her soul. In her ending, I feel her beginning.
With this issue of Letters, we celebrate the entire holiday season: Thanksgiving, World AIDS Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve (Starburst Gayla for us here at CAMP Rehoboth). It is a time when we give thanks for what we have, and celebrate the gift of life; it is a time when we say good-bye to the old and ring in the new.
Somehow it has always seemed fitting to me that World AIDS Day falls right in the middle of the holiday season. AIDS has changed our world; AIDS has changed us as individuals. As a part of our local World AIDS Service of Remembrance and Hope we read the names of our friends and family who have died from the disease. I used to think that there would come a time when we phased out the reading of the names. I no longer feel that way. Somehow all those names have become a part of who we are as a community and as individuals. Somehow all that death has mysteriously become a symbol of hope and of love. There are always red ribbons hanging on our family Christmas tree. World AIDS Day makes me experience the holidays with a much deeper sense of hope and awareness.
The New Year will be full of changes for CAMP Rehoboth: some of them are known to us now; some of them will undoubtedly come as a surprise, as they always seem to do. One of the biggest changes will be the end of our July 4th event Love. Love has been a major part of the summer landscape in Rehoboth for many, many years and it will, I’m sure, be missed. Its loss is a reminder that all things eventually come to an end. At the same time, preliminary discussions are talking place about the return of the Black and White Beach Ball, and as I mentioned earlier, we will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary Sundance—and doing all we can to make it the most spectacular Sundance of all.
Perhaps the best “new beginning” for Delawareans, is that on January 1, 2012, the Civil Union Law will take effect. Even as we celebrate that victory, however, we long for the end of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and hope for the day when marriage equality becomes an option at the federal level, as well. For now, though, we salute the people of Equality Delaware and all the groups—including CAMP Rehoboth—who worked to make civil unions possible in this state.
One thing all of us would like to see is an end to our sluggish economy. Like most non-profit organizations, CAMP Rehoboth has tightened its budget, and fundraising is a constant part of our lives. We are extremely grateful for the support of our many members whose pledges and contributions have helped us succeed despite the slow economic recovery. Members: please consider renewing or upgrading your membership; non-members: you can make a difference, please sign up today!
We are thankful, as well, to all the people and businesses who have supported us by becoming hosts or sponsors of one or more of our events and/or programs. As this year comes to an end, we especially thank our 2011 Summer Sponsors: Sea Bova Associates, Outlet Liquors, and Move2Rehoboth.com.
One final appeal remains: our end-of-the-year one. The CAMP Rehoboth annual appeal will be mailed about the same time as this issue is published, and it will remind everyone that their “contribution will help to ensure that we do not have to reduce programs or services to the community.” Please help! There is a form on the next page of this issue, or simply go to camprehoboth.com, click on the “store” button, and take care of it online.
Year in, year out, life moves on. At every step of the way, there are endings and new beginnings—some of them painful, like the loss of a dear friend or the end of a beloved event; some of them are joyful—a civil union or a fresh idea. Here at CAMP Rehoboth we do the best we can to create a more positive world. Like the cover on this issue of Letters, that means a world with more peace, more joy, more hope, and more love.
Thank you for another good year, and have a happy, happy new one in 2012!
Murray Archibald, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in Rehoboth Beach.