Let me tell you about a terrific surprise my aunt sent to me.  I was attending Band Camp in late summer.  Band Camp consists of a week of uninterrupted sessions where performances are choreographed, music is memorized, and logistics are fine-tuned for the half-time performances for the upcoming fall football season.  Shows for band competitions are also learned during this time.  It is a week of structured activity and, frankly, hard work.

Band Camp is located in an isolated rural place, far from comfortable amenities and distractions. The camping cabins are rustic, smell of mildew, and are spider-ridden.  Not only did we have to adjust to sharing personal space with fellow band members and their annoying habits, we had to sleep on lumpy, musty mattresses.  Even though sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable, exhaustion from each day’s activity made these conditions a welcome respite.

Meals were shared in a cafeteria setting.  The food, although filling, consisted of high-calorie, bland-tasting fare.  Nothing was fresh; everything tasted like it came from a can…and it probably did.

The week I attended Band Camp, the weather was hot, humid, and uncomfortable.  Practices were brutal and the pressure of living in this kind of environment, as well as the mental and physical demands, made me miss home. 

One day, about mid-week, I was particularly frustrated.  The rigorous activity and the living conditions were getting to me.  I was hot and tired.  My muscles were sore and I was probably slightly dehydrated.  During a short rest break, my fellow campers and I heard the roar of a UPS truck coming down the lane.  “Oh great”, I said.  “Probably some more of that fattening food being delivered”, added my friend.  Imagine my surprise (and delight) when the Band Director called out my name with his megaphone to inform me that it was I who had the delivery.

As I hurriedly opened the large cardboard box, my fellow campers eagerly watched.  Inside the wrapping, I found a hand-written note from my thoughtful aunt and read it aloud to the growing crowd.  “I know you and your band-mates need to keep up your energy.  Band Camp is a time for learning and sharing; a time for loving and caring; a time to make lasting memories.  Enjoy!” 

Inside the huge box was a beautiful bushel basket brimming with a variety of delicious, fresh fruit.  Sweet and juicy peaches, plums, and nectarines were abundant.  There was an assortment of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples; Bartlett and Bosc pears; red and green seedless grapes.  Colorful oranges and tangy tangerines were also attractively placed to make an enticing arrangement.  Best of all, was a gigantic, ripe watermelon.  Sealed packages of dried cherries, banana chips, and boxes of raisins were thrown in; to be enjoyed after the fresh assortment was gone.

My aunt’s note said to share; so share, I did.  There was enough fruit for everyone to enjoy.  In fact, the colorful assortment was so tempting, we began enjoying it immediately…watermelon juice running down our chins…peach nectar making our fingers sticky.  This basket of fresh fruit was the healthiest we had eaten all week.  We savored each nutritious bite.  It gave us the energy we needed to make it through the week.  It refreshed us enough to calm our nerves.  It gave us the nutrition we were lacking so we could focus and concentrate on what we needed to learn.

Due to my aunt’s thoughtfulness, my band-mates and I can look back at our Band Camp experience with fondness.  It was one of the more memorable highlights of the week.  Sending me the Fruit Basket turned out to be the encouragement (and nourishment) I needed to see me through to the end.  It arrived at one of the more difficult times in my life and turned it into a positive experience.  It was such a great idea; I will never forget how much I appreciated it.  In fact, I plan to send a deliciously fresh Fruit Basket to other band campers in years to come.  I’m sure they will appreciate it as much as I did.