Is It Possible to do TOO MUCH?

At Camp… we sometimes get carried away. Did we put too many things into the past 36 hours?

Let me see:

Mexican Dinner Theme Night (Swag Given)
Late Night Movie (Swag Given)
Challenge Day (Swag Given)
4th of July (Swag Given)
Carnival (Swag Given)
Fireworks

We are ready for some regular camp. We are ready for the middle part of the summer to begin! I have been waiting for this point in Main Camp for 10 days… for this is the besst part of the camp experience (in my opinion).

Don’t you agree that the best stuff often found 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 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. Five Weeks is a remarkable amount of time to build a community… this intensity is what we are beginning to enjoy in these long hot days of summer a. It is what we love most about this place.

Lunch Shepherd’s Pie, home made mashed potatoes, peas, yum… a camp favorite that will bring a cheer from the girls.

Dinner will be smoked chicken with rice.

EP is going to be our first Council Fire of the summer. We give out awards for girls who have already passed levels in their classes (not very many at this point in the summer) and we will hear a wonderful story from my mother, intended to inspire us to “high and noble ideals”. We finally will “Tap” campers to be members of the Temporary Honor Council. These are girls that are recognized as exceptional in their cabins, classes, leaders amongst their peers, and who LOVE camp and LOVE playing the “Camp Game” well. It is a huge honor, much anticipated.

Whew…

Thank you for making this “Wonder Land” possible. I promise not to put up 2700 photos today.

Jimboy