I Don't Really Remember...

It's been a great summer so far.  Have I mentioned that the end is coming way too quickly?

And, in the busy-ness of this life, have I also mentioned lately how much I love my kids?  I loved being able to capture this moment the other day.  I was in my role as photographer.  He was in his role as Grounds Crew - manning the inflatables.  She was in her role as camper - having fun.

We've come a long way in our "camp journey" these past seven years.  God has opened doors, and windows, and secret hatches all along the way -- many of our growth-opportunities and friendships because of camp.  Life is good.

I don't really remember what it felt like to sip lemonade all summer.  Now, I stop at McDonalds to grab a Sweet Tea on the run.

I don't really remember what it felt like to sit out and get a little sun.  Now, my "tan lines" are earned by standing outdoors snapping pictures, or by standing at the side of a small lake and keeping an eagle-eye on campers.

I don't really remember what it felt like to garden.... Um, well - that's a story for another day.

It's been a great summer so far.

Have I mentioned that the end is coming way too quickly?

Time Flies...

Wow - time really DOES fly when you're having fun.  Of course, by now I have realized that time flies even if you're NOT having fun -- but that's a story for another day.

This is week six of my nine-week summer day camp job, and you know what?  I am dreading week nine.  Dreading it, I tell you.  I love this job, and truly hate to see it end each year.

My title this year is Media Manager.  Essentially, this means I manage the Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as a camp blog.  I also take pictures of camp activities all day so that I can post them up-to-the-minute on Facebook as well as displaying them on the blog, and in a daily newsletter.

However, I am also blessed enough to:

• interact with parents on a daily basis, and learn more about their families
• mingle with some of the most awesome jr. high, sr. high, and college-aged staff that you could imagine. (I've known some of them since they were in diapers!)
• work (it's way too much fun to call it "work!") with some of the most lovely ladies who have become forever friends in a "friend who would move a body" kind of way.  Really, take a minute and click on that link -- then come back here.  I'll wait.....  [Everybody needs those kind of friends, right?]
• encourage kids who are just having a rough day
• high-five some awesome kids as they run past me down the hall
• eat snacks with little girls while they tell me all of the favorite parts of their day
• listen while children tell me that they "just became a Christian today!"
• be invited to eat at a lunch table filled with 5th/6th grade girls
• have excited children run up to me and beg to have their picture taken
• show "tough love" to campers I have known since they were itsy-bitsy -- because I know them well enough to expect as much of them as their parents do
• work for the cause of Christ to minister to families and children in a lovely setting with some of my nearest and dearest friends
• have a husband who encourages me to take this job each summer, and is sacrificial in his attitude about what gets done at home all summer.  He helps out with so much, encourages the kids to do their part, and doesn't make a big deal about the things that get overlooked for a few months.

I mean,

is it any wonder that

I don't want it to end?

I hope that you're having a wonderful summer too!

What great things have you done?

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

Perhaps today,

it was to sit on the deck with a sweet tea.

YOU GO GIRL!

Whatever you're up to,

I hope it IS sweet!

Happy, happy summer!

May the rest of it creep slowly by.

Amen.

7/14/11 Daybook #4

~ For Today ~

Outside my window...

the moon is rising and I'm watching bunnies and fireflies out in the yard.

I am thinking...

how much I love my summer job,

and just as when I was a kid

I don't want summer to end.

I am thankful for...

my faith.

Even on the worst of days,

it's what I come back to.

From the kitchen...

The refrigerator is humming beside me

(can't wait until that new refrigerator arrives!),

and I am eating a chocolate pudding cup

that hasn't made it into the kid's lunchboxes yet.

A pan is waiting for chicken

-- early prep for tomorrow's dinner.

I am creating...

a mess with this pudding cup that won't stand upright.

I am wearing...

p.j.'s

I am going...
to bed soon (right).

I am reading...

nothing right now -- too busy!

On my mind...

a friend headed to a drs. appointment tomorrow with her sister.

a friend asking God to take her dying mother-in-law Home.

a busy weekend coming up.

Around the house...
there is laundry to be done,

and that chicken (for tomorrow)

still hasn't cooked itself! 

One of my favorite things...
the silence of the house after the kids have gone to bed.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

daycamp-taking son to Biblestudy-shopping -sleep

wedding-birthday party-sleep

church-birthday party

start the week over again.

"Achieving" Bokeh

Subtitled "A Happy Accident!"

{In photography, bokeh* is the blur,

or the aesthetic quality of the blur,

in out-of-focus areas of an image,

or the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.}

So, I was out snapping pictures of flowers in our garden, and came back inside to find this on my camera:

Imagine my surprise when I found that I, the rookie photographer who doesn't know anything at all about the "ins and outs" of photography took this photo which is seemingly full of bokeh with a simple (we're talking really simple) no-frills point and shoot digital camera!  I was filled with SURPRISE, I tell you!  However, in an effort to be an honest blogger, I would have to say that rather than "achieving bokeh," I believe that I was victim to "a happy accident!"

And, by the way, I'm not too proud to say, "I'LL TAKE IT!" (Big smile!)

*Bokeh definition found at Wikipedia.

Sunday Sermon Notes

Our former pastor was in town on Sunday, and filled the pulpit.  My hubby and I made a hasty exit from our usual "current worship" to go to the "traditional" service.  It was wonderful to hear him preach.  His passion for God is inspiring.

This day, he talked about 4 "S's" that we should have... that we should bring to others... for the cause of Christ.

• STORY.  Everyone has a story - as some famous talk-show host once said.  Do you know yours?  Sometimes I think I don't know mine yet.  The point being that we should have a story that we are willing to share with others that points them in the direction of Christ.
• SCRIPTURE.  Do you have a favorite scripture?  Something that is super meaningful to you?  It may even go along with your story.  I never seem to be able to zero in on just one scripture -- or maybe it's just the stress of having to pick one.  Lately though, I am especially loving Philippians 4:13 -  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  A friend recently reminded me that the original text's meaning is endure (not "do" as we typically think) which really changes the spin on this verse for me.  "Endure" seems to indicate that there WILL be hardships, and there WILL be disappointments, but that I will be able to ENDURE them because of Christ's strength in me.  This is the reality of life.  I know that being a Christian does not mean that I will be without trials.  This verse is a great comfort to me when I feel alone in unhappy circumstances.

• SONG.  I cannot possibly put into words the importance of music in my life.  I hang onto favorite scriptural lyrics, and they move me.  The song that has most deeply affected my life is "It Is Well With My Soul."  I first heard (or should I say "felt") this hymn at the memorial service for my aunt, when I was just a junior in high school.  If I heard the words, or sang the song before that, it was meaningless.  Today, it is so filled with meaning for me, that it is impossible for me to get through it without tears.  

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

• SCENE.  Is there a scene that plays through your head of someone's commitment to the cause of Christ?  For our dear pastor, it was the scene of his adult daughter, on her death bed after battling cancer, and raising her hands to say, "I love Jesus!"  That plays over and over in his mind as a picture of faithfulness to our dear Savior.  It has made a lasting impression on him, to say the very least.

I share these ideas with you not because I have all the answers.  In fact, I already admitted that I may not even know my own "story" yet.  But I hope, in sharing this, that I have inspired you to think about these topics in the same way that our pastor inspired me.

I Peter 3:15

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone

who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and respect..."

(As a side-note, the song "It Is Well With My Soul" has a story behind it.  You can read it HERE.)

In addition, we have recently begun to sing THIS VERSION in our "current" worship -- and I LOVE it!

CHORUS:

It is well, it is well,

Through the storm I am held.

It is well, it is well with my soul!