Memory Lane

In today's Missoulian they had two articles that caught my eye. The first is an interview with the football coach at Missoula Sentinel. I knew Pete many years ago and he has to be the most charismatic person that I have ever met. Pete could pack more into a weekend than was wise, but it was always an adventure. I'm glad to see that he is doing well in Missoula.

The other article was about the Missoula Children's Theater summer performing arts camp. I have a lot of great memories of the people there from the five years I was a part of the program as a camper and as staff but the detail that really brought back the memory was the fact that they duct tape pillows to the low hanging ceiling beams so that performers don't hit their heads. For some reason, that detail in the article absolutely triggered every detail of what it was like in that dining hall to rehearse for three straight hours (or more) while the lake sat outside calling our names. Sometimes the rain has the same effect on me, bringing back the MCT memories of one two week stint when it rained all the time.

My favorite MCT story is when I was the camp director and one of the counselors came to me and told me the story of two girls on the first night. One of them said, "I think you're my best friend." The other replied from the top bunk, "You're my best friend too." To which the first asked, "What's your name again?"

While I remember a lot of names from MCT, the truth is that I don't have contact with anybody (other than my brother) and I suppose that is part of age. At seventeen or twenty one the intensity of emotion is so great that you just can't imagine not knowing these people in the future, but I'm left to wonder how they are, and pray that they are doing well.