Shalom! Almost every evening at camp, we have a different cabin lead T’fillot (services). Each camper writes a part and reads it before all of camp in between the prayers we say or sing as a community. This way, every camper gets the opportunity to share something of themselves with the wider camp, and to teach the community something about their values, Judaism, or their connection to our prayers. Our cabin services make each of our T’fillot that much more unique and meaningful. —Jacob Kraus, T’fillah Specialist 

GUCI Evening Service: Cabin 8

June 16, 2014

The Journey

Opening Song

Bar’chu

 When you think of morning and night, do you simply think of the sun rising and setting? I know I do. But morning and night represent so much more. Morning is when we can start fresh and begin our day. Our journey. In this daily journey of fun, energy, happiness, hardships, and possibly despair, we overcome everything and finally night, the destination of our journey. As we continue this journey together everyday, we grow as individual people and as a community. So treasure every minute of it because you never know when a new chapter of your journey could begin. –Em Marmer

Maariv Aravim

 As people say, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” But what does it really mean? It doesn’t say whether the journey is better or worse than the destination. So what are we supposed to take from that? The word in the quote that stands out the most to me is ‘it.’ It is a small word with many meanings. In the quote, I believe that “it” is referring to the type of person we are, and the journey is what forms and changes us into becoming the person you will one day be. I can’t wait to see where my journey leads me. –Emma Nisonson

 Ahavat Olam

 Since our theme is The Journey I thought what better place helps you with your journey in life than GUCI. GUCI gives us the skills to march our way through life and to rock at it. GUCI pushes us to make new friends and develop skills that we thought we never would master. –Phyllis Drake

 Sh’ma/V’ahavta

 I think GUCI is a journey. Mine started in Garin and moved through Shoresh and Gezah and I have hit another milestone, Anaf! The community here leads me through this journey, which I wish would never end! Every day at camp should be treasured because it is a moment in your journey and everyone has a journey of his or her own. –Mallory Rubin

 Mi Chamocha

Everyone is so focused on where they are headed. It is good to set goals and commit to reaching them but it is also important to enjoy the journey getting there. Sometimes we concentrate so hard on things that we lose sight of what’s important and we miss the little things that really count. It is not just the big accomplishments or dreams fulfilled that define a person, it is also all of the smaller moments created along the way. Your journey is also changed and improved by the people you meet, friends and family whose paths cross with yours, even if just momentarily. The choices you make and what you do on your everyday journey through life may seem insignificant, but it’s not about the destination, it’s about the experience in getting there, the Journey is how you share it with others. –Rae Norrie

Hashkiveinu

Our cabin service is about the journey, not the destination. During programs at camp, we don’t think about the reward, we think about the fun time we are spending together. In Limud a couple of days ago we learned to listen and be present in conversations. This could also mean that we need to fully experience the journey we are on. In the Amidah it says, ‘you remember the devotion of our ancestors,” our ancestors were not focused on the solution at the end; they were focused on the journey to get to the Promised Land. I hope that you decide to not think about the reward, but instead think of the journey. –Sam Eshenour

Amidah (Avot V’Imahot, G’vurot, Kedushat Hashem)

Shalom Rav

As a kid, you’re always asked what you want to be when you grow up, but you never actually think about how you can get there. Getting older makes your future seem more real than when you were five. Suddenly, everything becomes about how to get into college and how you achieve the job you want. You choose your high school classes based on the credits they give you, and electives become less about what you enjoy and more about what it’ll look like on an application. I’m not even a freshman yet, and I’ve already experienced this. The future is a scary place and I wish I was still 5 and could say without a doubt that I am going to be a princess, but my journey won’t stop, slow down, or rewind. I’m on the road to discovering what my life is going to be like, so I might as well enjoy the ride. –Molly Foster

Silent Prayer, Yih’yu L’ratzon

Aleinu L’shabeiach

What exactly does the future mean? What is in store? What do I need to do to succeed? These are questions that I think about almost every day. But why is the future such a key point we’re focusing on? For those of you, including me, that obsess over the future too much, remember that there’s a gift waiting for you and it’s called the present. The Kaddish is not about death; it is about celebrating wonderful people’s lives. So take advantage of where you are and what you’re doing right now. Make the most of it by living in the moment. When you do that, I am positive that you’ll have no regrets. –Carly Shocket

Mourner’s Kaddish

All of us go through Jewish Journeys.  Our journeys all overlap at camp and as a community we help each other reach our milestones. –Emma Ponitz

Closing Song