What's in a song?

Last night, while watching a silly Disney movie with my kids, Man of the House, I encountered this song again, "Return to Innocence" by Enigma.

It was somewhere in the mid-1990's, on a retreat to Rock Springs Ranch. We'd spent the night and day and night doing all-things VoLTS (that is, for you newbies, Volunteers Learning Through Service). We were, admittedly, sleep deprived. We were, I suspect, high on life and youthful vitality--I know there was no substance abuse, but you would not know it by our behavior.

Joe Swaba, an iconic figure in service learning, was leading us in a closing session. We were reflecting on the retreat, forecasting what we might do when we returned to the regular world. It was, for me, the first "camp high" I'd ever really experienced. I think through the session everyone was streaming tears and pouring out heart and soul. It was a very diverse crowd, one we likened to The Breakfast Club, with representation from about every clique and subculture of our college.

After days of planning and dreaming, of delving into our motives and our potential, I think we were a little bit afraid of ourselves and what we thought we were about to accomplish. We were united in love, in the spirit of service, dedicated to doing good, an army against apathy!

That was one moving moment.

Kind of sad to think back on it now, realizing that nothing much came of it all.



Viva la SLC.

We would have had a Luau this week.