Carleton Crispin Reflects on a Middle School Friends Gathering

On the weekend of January 21 through  23,  2011, I attended a Middle School Friends conference sponsored by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. It was a cruse ship load of fun. The location was a beautiful meetinghouse at Yardley, PA. The central focus of its spectacular beauty was the eye- catching stone fireplace in the worship room. The cozy activity room provided a place for us to meet and make friends. The smell from the kitchen inspired healthy appetites grown large from playing in the snow. The activities were meaningful, but still entertaining. However, there is one category that stands out the most. That category is the extraordinary friends I made there. Why? Because you could have a weekend with zero friends and tons of activities, yet be bored. Or, you could have a weekend with many friends and no activities and have a great time. Friendship makes the difference. Luckily this weekend had the better of both.

        When I arrived there I was pleased by the Friendly Adult Presences’, otherwise known as F.A.P. s., greetings. They treated you with the respect giving to a president. They act like they are no greater than you. That makes one feel good, but what really shocked me was the kindness of the kids. I have gone to a private Quaker school all my life and have rarely seen such kindness from the students apart from a few close friends I have known in the past like my friend Michael. I left with the knowledge and reassurance that not all people my age automatically dislike me and not all adults believe their opinions are superior.

        One unexpected result of being with the MSF for this January conference was the effect the weather had on all of us. Cold, and especially snow, makes people min a warm building feel cozy. Imagine entering the toasty after being out in the snow playing “frasily ram?” Sliding on the lake’s secure ice, observing the waterfall and dam combo, warming up while chowing down on mac and cheese, and all those good feelings amplified by the smells.

        I am an only child. I am now home schooled. What does this mean? It means that I only see friends every few Saturdays. This conference reminded me that I need to get out more and be with other young people with whom I can relate, talk, and play. The conference was riddled with all sorts of games. However, it provided time to really “hang out.” Free time. My point is that everything is more fun with a friend.

        Life is about learning. Learning can come from any experience. If you did not learn anything you were not paying attention. I did learn one thing, among many things, that will stick with me the rest of my life. A life lesson. I learned that video games and television are not that much fun. Not nearly as much fun as being with some special people. Friends like the ones we meet at Middle School Conferences like this one.