What a intensely emotional last few days it’s been. After a few more days of processing, I hope I’ll have a better grasp on precisely how to explain how important this week was to me.

Overall, working the camp as a Senior Counselor and having the opportunity to be a speaker at the camp, I feel fulfilled. I was able to bring what I knew about RYLA to a new environment and help students take away lessons that I know changed my life. I’ve said before and I won’t stop now, RYLA is truly what brought me on this journey. It is an enormous part of my life and a huge force for good that I am so grateful for. Its so beautiful to pass on that gift to other people. It was also interesting to see how the change of environment, the adjustment in timing and organization, and new attendees and staff present made a different kind of difference in my life and in the life of all the kids we worked with. I’m thrilled to have built a new support network with other Rotarians and am so excited to continue helping my conferees on their life journeys.

I spent the evening processing all of this and more with people that I have grown up with, walking through Little Havana with Cuban ice cream and sitting on a porch balcony on top of the world. I can’t wait to see how this RYLA will impact the leader I am once I have a little more time to think and sleep.

While all this emotional growth was happening for me, Evan was enjoying Superbowl snacks and having a good time building a sword out of Legos.

We’re excited that tomorrow we’ll be back in the same state and back on the same journey.