Rockin

Drew and Ellie Holcomb gave a wonderful concert last night. The announcement that they were going to do the EP was a HUGE MOMENT, for the girls absolutely love them. The Holcombs have been coming to camp for three years now and each year stay for about a week. Not only do we enjoy a great concert, we get to “hang out” with them in classes and have them do surprise devotions for cabin groups and assemblies. They are genuinely wonderful people who have a remarkable talent and have gotten quite popular over the years.

This year they brought along their new baby, Emmy Lou (who we hope to make a Greystone Girl one day). The entire week will be seasoned by their presence, a fact that will provide just enough “spice” to keep everyone on their toes. We are planning some extraordinary moments around the Holcombs, I am certain they will be memorable.

Guess what? We saw stars last night! It has been a long time since I last saw stars. The cloud cover has been so pervasive, I just never looked up at the right moment… but last night the stars were shining brightly for hours on end and this morning presented something not seen in weeks: A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY!

The temperatures are warmer, we are putting on sun screen, and all is well with the world.

Rafting trips are going out this week. The first trip left at 5:30 AM, another left at 7:00, another at 8:00… 70 girls out of camp for a day of adventure on the famous whitewater rivers of this area. I am glad the girls will have good weather, it makes the trips more fun.

I consider this to be the best camp week of the summer for it is the “middle” week of Main Camp. The girls feel as if they have a lot of time ahead of them, they also feel the confidence of a lot of time behind them. We know each other and are very comfortable with each other… leading to REAL moments of life and community at a deep level. Most of these moments are nothing but good (deep conversations that go on for a long time, classes where suddenly a skill “clicks”, delight coming from a new surprise event or special dessert. Life lived in camp is good and we appreciate the goodness more than we have till this poing.

It is also hard. Nothing truly good is easy, and camp is no different. We have little arguments, misunderstandings, we step on each other’s toes and say things we should not have said. Our feet hurt or we don’t like a meal— every day presents moments to replace and repair the negative aspects of life. We replace them with a spirit of humility and love, asking forgiveness and freely giving it in return. We have “friendship circles” with entire cabin groups and take time to seek out those who we have offended and individually ask forgiveness. The warmth and depth of camp relationships in a 5 week session are profound and only noticed after about three weeks. It isn’t easy but it certainly is good.

Breakfast Club theme today finished out the “Mental” side of the four fold philosophy with the encouraging words of Henry Ford: “If you think you can do a thing or if you think you can’t do a thing, you are right.”. The power of a positive “can do” attitude can not be over stated and I used the example of camp to drive the point home. We always try to figure out a way to say “yes”. In a densely packed community, there are community rules and standards… but we try to give a positive reply to the many requests we get every day. A good example of this is the “No Visitor Policy”… we knew that the girls would miss the surprise of an invitation to leave camp, so we provided the surprise ourselves. We take cabin groups out at unexpected moments (breakfast and lunchtimes), we invite them to pizza parties at Jimboy’s house, we have surprise midnight movies… all in an attempt to duplicate the fun of a special visit. It is a positive answer to a reasonable request.

We want these girls to always think highly of their capacity to do whatever they decide to do in life. To make life goals and develop a plan and a team to make that goal a reality. It is a great life lesson that will provide fruit long after they leave this place.

Breakfast was fantastic today: a very flavorful Fritata. Fritata’s are very easy to make and a good way to use up left overs, this one had slices of potatos and onions… it was really quite amazing.

Tonight will be Movie Night. The youngsters will watch a movie in White Hall, the Seniors will go to Greenville for dinner and a movie with Jimboy and Laura, Cabin 1-8 will go on Apple Hill for a late night movie and overnight extravaganza under the stars (the giant screen with 30 mile views behind and infinity above is quite spectacular), the rest of camp will spread out in the Pavilion. It is a really great night.

Thanks again for all of your support in reading the blog. Over 1000 readers of the blog yesterday, a new record for Greystone! Usually the readers drop off on the weekend (600 would be a normal expectation), your activity speaks volumes and is deeply appreciated.

Jimboy

PS THE JOKE: A snail had a dream to one day own a car so that he could GO FAST for a change. He wanted the very best and very fastest car, so he set his eye stalks on the Mercedes S Class. This dream was a big one, but he worked hard and saved diligently until he had the cash. He went to the dealership and was delighted to purchase the bright red “S Car” of his dreams. They installed special controls for him to drive the car safely and as he roared away from the dealership the salesman marveled “ LOOK AT THAT S-CAR-GO”!