What's Happening

How to begin?

There are so many good things going on in camp… you should hear the perspective from the “top” first. Things are going very well. Things are going amazingly well. Camp is off to the best start we have ever had and the campers and counselors know it.

How do I know this? From the “spirit” of the group: at meal times, at assemblies, at evening programs, in classes… the group “feels” good. From with the girls: every camper I spoke to this morning has been fully engaged (looking me in the eye, smiling, quick to answer my questions, sharing jokes, asking me questions about my dogs). From the cabin counselors (who report to us daily on how every girl in their cabin is adjusting to camp). And from the peace… camp just feels very peaceful, serene, safe, happy, and full of grace.

We all know how bad it feels to be in a place of chaos and “yuck”. At Greystone we have worked very hard to eliminate any “yuck” experiences. Every year we seek out such weaknesses and try to come up with a solution that will keep that problem from happening again. We have a long way to go… but camp is starting out well enough to give me confidence that all this work is paying off. Camp is going very well.

This is not to say that you will not get a “homesick” letter. I will do a separate update on that subject, for the answer to this question takes a fairly large number of words . Read that update (I will post it later today) if you are concerned.

Camp is a remarkable growth experience. Growth sometimes involves rising above our emotions to enjoy the moment that God has provided. Some girls become wistful during rest hour or at bedtime (the quiet moments of camp). This is good… for they learn to look back and be thankful for the good that they have experienced. They learn to look forward to the good things that they will experience in the next few hours and days. They learn that their emotions do not control their life, and this lesson pays dividends for a lifetime. Confidence and a more mature perspective than most of their peers. It is wonderful to overcome little hardships in such an environment.

It is overcast today, the steady breeze keeping us very comfortable no matter how active the schedule. It might rain a bit later on, but one never knows (it rains near or on us almost every day due to the scattered showers that always form this time of year).

EP last night was great. Every tentalow camper performed on stage with her cabin… spot lights, special effects, great sound system… and an audience of almost 700 screaming fans. It is magic! Taylor Swift would have been proud of these girls. One of my favorite moments was when Tentalow Lower 1 performed Taylor’s latest/greatest… sing it with me “I don’t know about you, I’m feeling twenty two”. I hope they don’t really feel that way…

Tonight will feature the cabins doing their lip synchs (with an extra day to work on their acts, the cabin show is always something to see.

I did a walk thru the Fine Arts Center this morning to see how they are managing the first day of classes. WOW… it was amazing. Crafts, Scrapbooking, Sewing, Painting, Tie Dye/ Fashion Drawing, Metal Jewelry,, & Ceramics meet all day every day in this fantastic facility. About 25% of the camp is in this area at any one point in the day, showing what an important spot it is to us. I never would have dreamed that this was the first day of class (remember, this is our first day of TTS classes).

Breakfast Scrambled Eggs, Grits, Bacon (thick cut and perfectly cooked), Cereal, Juice, and the amazing fruit bar. I will get a photo of the fruit bar sometime… better fruit than you would find at most restaurants (straw berries, blue berries, black berries, cantaloupe melons, grapes, greek yogurt, steel cut oatmeal, home made granola).

Lunch is going to be a hit: BLT sandwiches (yes, we use home made bread), Kettle Chips (they are the best aren’t they?), big salad, sweet tea.

Supper Smoked Chicken, rice and gravy, roasted broccoli, big salad…

We are eating well.

Oh Yes… we opened candy shop last night. The girls are allowed to get one treat from candy shop every day. This is always during the free time after dinner (before EP). You might think that we should not give them treats (we hear this a lot from parents), but this time ends up being a much beloved point in every day. It is very social, lots of chatting in the shop line. It is a group activity, everyone walks to shop together after dinner. And it is a beautiful time of day to hang out on the front lawn (once they get their treat, about half of the girls stay on the lawn playing the rest go back to their cabins). My favorite treat: Kti Kat. Candy Shop used to be a charge to the girl’s personal allowance… it is now free (as are emails… we used to charge for incoming emails).

Well… almost time for Lunch!
Jimboy

PS The comments are wonderful. Thank you.

PPS THE JOKE TODAY: This young man was extremely shy because of the fact he had a wooden eye. When he was 6 he lost his eye in an accident. When he met people he was sure that they were sickened by the sight of his eye. But he desperately wanted to fit in. Finally in junior high, he forced himself to go to a school dance and as usual he sat alone on the side of the floor knowing that everyone there avoided him because of his wooden eye. Then he saw this girl sitting alone. She had a very large nose and he was sure that she felt the same way he did and he was right. She was very self conscience of her nose. It took a lot of courage for her to even go to the dance. Finally he thought “why not?” and he got up and went over to her. He haltingly asked her if she wanted to dance. She jumped to her feet and yelled “Would I, Would I” to which he screamed back “Big Nose, Big Nose”.