The Middle Part

Isn’t the best stuff in the middle? Think Oreo cookies, Twinkies, Jelly Donut, Philly Cheese Steak, omelets… and that is just the food category. The same is true for many of the good gifts of life: don’t you just love the feeling of the middle of a vacation? The first days are often wasted looking back (all the work we left undone, the things we forgot to bring, etc.) and the last days are often wasted looking forward (to what we need to do first when we get home). Only the middle is spent in the present… it is the best part for we are just enjoying the day we are in without care for the past or future.

Now is our middle of camp, and it is GREAT!

We are very comfortable in our cabin, very comfortable in our schedule, very comfortable in the dining hall, and very comfortable with our counselors and friends. It seems like there is a long time before camp is over, so we don’t even think about it… we just live in the present. THIS is how God wants us to live EVERY DAY!

Scripture tells us that time is fleeting, like a flower that quickly fades away… we are to make the most of every day that we are given. Don’t go to sleep if you are mad at somebody… ask forgiveness immediately. Don’t worry about tomorrow, accept God’s Grace for the past, and Love God and your neighbor NOW. No better place to live this lesson than at camp.

“True Colors” are now arising amongst the campers and counselors. We are all on best behavior for those first few days then it just becomes too much. The “warts” rise to the surface and personalities begin to clash. Feelings are sometimes hurt, words are spoken, and if we didn’t help the girls figure it out there would be strife in the camp. This is where everyone grows… we learn to live together, warts and all. We learn to ask forgiveness and to give forgiveness to others. We learn to genuinely get past conflict, often finding our friendship is stronger and more genuine for the effort. True colors make camp a beautiful and vibrant place… and this place is full of characters.

We all recognize each other, often by name and always by face. Some campers are known by their “accessories”: hats, shoes, backpacks, and so forth. Some are known by their exuberant personalities that just explode into every situation they enter. Some are known by their quiet personalities: always polite, quiet, and ready to help. Some are good at jokes, some are good at names (they know everyone by name)… each individual a recognized face in a sea of happy faces. This is what makes Greystone what it is. We form a deeply connected community; the longer the camp the more intense the community. Three Weeks is enough time to form a very tight group… and this intensity is what we are beginning to enjoy in these middle days of June and what makes us really notice it when someone is gone.

So imagine the impact of rafting.

Today we take our first rafting trips (about 100 girls going today about 100 going tomorrow). The girls board big Prevost Coaches for the 2 hour drive into Tennessee for a day of adventure on the Pigeon river. This river is fantastic for rafting because it offers an easy part for younger rafters (the Lower Pigeon) and a Rollercoaster of class V water for older girls. One of our old counselors now runs the rafting company that his father founded… and they take excellent care of the Greystone girls. Jeff makes sure that our guides are the best and that the high standards that we hold for our community are upheld. They are professional in every way and use the very best of equipment… it is a fun trip, but we really miss the girls.

The dining hall is much more quiet, we will close about 25 tables for lunch and the difference is profound. Everyone is more quiet and the pace of the meal just seems to slow down. This slower pace will be noticed in classes and cabins as well. It is kind of a sweet change.

Breakfast was that all time favorite of campers and counselors alike: French Toast and sausage, served with real maple syrup (of course).
Lunch is going to be hamburgers… and these are the kind of hamburgers that dad cooks in the back yard: hand formed freshly ground beef (our butcher loves us… his name is L.K. and he is a second generation “old school” local butcher… we even get local meat… but L.K. doesn’t hand form patties, he leaves that for our kitchen crew). The prep team started making patties at 9:00 this morning and finished about 10:30… just in time to light the apple wood grill fire. We will grill the burgers and finish them to the proper temperature in our fancy oven… a lot of work, but who doesn’t appreciate a really great hamburger?
Dinner is cheese toast and home made tomato-basil soup. Light and tasty!

EP tonight is that Wild and Crazy “Decade Dance”. Imagine a costume dance and you get the picture. Girls grab outfits from the costume room and crazy stuff packed in trunks, they share amongst themselves and spend about an hour prepping (the best part) then at about 8:00 we gather at the tennis courts for a dance party. It is a little crazy for my taste, but the girls LOVE dance parties (they have them in their cabins almost every night) and this is a really good one. The sight of the entire camp doing the same dance to “99 Red Balloons” is an inspiration… and the setting really is lovely. A calm lake, fireburst red and purple sunset sky, happy girls running around from group to group… small groups sitting on the see-saws, Adirondack chairs, or the canoe docks. It is a good night.

Thanks again for reading. It is a pleasure.

Jimboy