After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at Camp Oak Leaf. We were directed to the cabins that we would be staying in, and families were getting checked in. We waited our turn. As I looked around, everyone had their children with them. Theo and I were alone.
We got checked in and went to our room to settle in. Our room had six bunks; it reminded us a lot of Spencer Lake Camp, which Theo and I had grown up going to each summer.
After settling in, we walked to the Pavilion for the day’s activities. We started by doing our first activity, where we all got a sheet of paper and some markers. We were told to put things on this paper that reminded us of our loved ones, said a little bit about us, and who we were honoring over the weekend.
Theo and I designed the below:
- Baby Yoda – Theo and I love Star Wars, and we started Archer young with this love. We dressed him in lots of Baby Yoda and Star Wars apparel.
- Books – Archer loved being read to and his touch-and-feel books.
- Arrow – Simply a symbol we use to represent Archer.
- Music Notes – Archer loved music. From hearing us play on the worship team to dancing with me around the house, there was always a smile and peace with Archer when music was playing.
- A Symbol – You may recognize it as the blog logo we use to share Archer and our story.
- Paw Prints – These represent Archer’s fur siblings, Zeus and Zelda.
- Animal noses and tails – Yes, I know it looks strange…(This strange symbol brought Theo and me much laughter, as we had been feeling such a weight being here). Archer loved the Zoo and seeing all the animals. It just felt fitting.
After we shared this with the group, I noticed, as others were sharing, that we weren’t the only family without kids. There was a weight lifted from my chest. Finally, people who understood what it was once like to be parents and then not be parenting anyone.
