Be Kind

Our theme this year is one that should resonate… “BE KIND”. I bet all of you celebrate this character trait in your homes. It is a no-brainer… who doesn’t want their family to be kind to each other? It provides tangible evidence of love and is an essential building block for a happy relationship. It was a major theme of the Miller household when I was growing up and that wonderful verse from Ephesians was quoted whenever strife arose amongst the siblings.

Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

My father would always try to lighten the mood by saying it was a quote from John 3:16… Bible humor sometimes brings a smile… and it works. That simple rule backed up with that memorable verse made an impact in our family and it is making an impact at camp this year.

Reid, our Main Camp Minister, led our first Morning Assembly today with a talk on Kindness. Check it out if you have a few minutes. A good way to start the day and a good bookend to the Breakfast Club theme on The Honor Council.

This year we updated The Honor Council, and after 100 years there were several upgrades that we thought would make it better. Rather than secretly choosing girls to serve, we are allowing all of the Senior campers the opportunity to develop their leadership skills during their last summer at camp. They are already good leaders (having excelled as campers for many years) and have the eyes of the camp upon them. Their counselors already expect leadership from them in classes and the directors expect leadership from them in the special events of camp. Now we are offering better feedback and training on how to do this well and why it matters.

They will attend classes led by camp leaders (Sandi Taylor, JB & Dr. Margaret, Catherine) and serve the camp community in a variety of ways. After camp, we will provide resources to continue building godly leadership skills and maintaining significant relationships with each other. The Honor Council will thus become a program that can be easily explained to outsiders and have a greater impact at Greystone. The campers are very excited about this change (we have 100% participation from the Senior girls) and very excited about their first class with Sandi at Rest Hour today.

All of us are leaders, for our actions have an impact on others. This was the point of Breakfast Club and it was the point of Reid’s devotion. It is the point of many of our Council Fire stories (The Great Stone Face, Monarch the Hemlock, Harriett Tubman) that teach how our actions become our legacy. The campers “get it” and their character grows significantly as they practice servant leadership in their cabins, classes, and throughout the camp day. Tentalow One girls want to be like the “cool girls” from Tentalow Five and everyone wants to be like the Seniors (the coolest of the cool campers!). As we feel the weight of responsibility, we behave better. This is the root of the Greystone culture, one of the only places I have ever been where Kindness is a currency.

The weather is glorious today… a sunny summer day that feels like Main Camp ought to feel. We will be enjoying Lip Synchs from the older half of camp this evening and all of the campers are wondering what surprises are in store! We discovered our first Cicada at breakfast, one flew onto a counselor’s arm (much to the delight of the table). I love Cicadas. Magnificent insects with a remarkable life cycle that correlates with camp. The cicada that you see here was born 17 years ago and has lived for all of those years underground, only to emerge last night and check out all the changes! Cool!

Food…

• Breakfast Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage Links.
• Lunch Poppy Seed Chicken, Roasted Carrots, Tossed Salad, Rice, Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Dinner Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas, Terriaki Tofu, Blondies.

Other Observations…

• River Walk Wildlife Eagle, Deer, & Beaver all spotted at Morning Assembly.

That’s all for now. Thank you for checking in!