On Infinite Truth, Babies and Their Wisdom, Wedding Planning and Beautiful People in My Life

GROW old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in his hand

Who saith, ``A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'' 

 

When I was searching for quotes to include in our wedding invitation, I immediately googled Robert Browning. I love his poetry and his attitude towards life. It is always poignant and full of double meanings. My search revealed the first two lines of this poem... Jesse and I both liked it, so we used it. But I never read the rest of the poem. It is a selection from his: Rabbi Ben Ezra. I just skimmed the rest of the poem and found it very thought provoking. He asks such hard questions about life and death, the meaning of it. Should he have faith in The Infinite Truth (God)? 

The days are passing so quickly. Yesterday we had our garage sale for the last time. Now it's time to just get rid of all of the stuff that is left. We made well over $200, if my calculations are correct. And, what's even better, we got rid of a lot of things we didn't need. We found out something: Jesse drives a harder bargain than I do. That's pretty scary considering that Jesse doesn't drive a hard bargain at all. Lol!

My sister-in-law-to-be Samantha and I sat down yesterday and discussed wedding all afternoon. We hammered one million different things out. I threw ideas at her and she considered them then proceeded to tell me why they would or would not work. Haha! It's so good to have her in my life. Between her, Lindsey, my sister Lydia, Michele and Jesse, the wedding should be a success. 

We thought of several different ideas that really thrill the socks off of me. One is to have my dad and brother make an square garden arch, like the one we had in Melville. The other is to have an old weathered garden table and chairs sitting on stage with all of the flowers and candles... I'm not sure how much I should divulge right now so I'm going to stop.. but you get the idea of what the wedding is going to be like. :-) 

This month I am going to be working 16 days, going to music camp for five, going to Saskatoon, Regina and Swan River... all the while, planning like crazy. To top this all off, I need to get my teaching schedule figured out for October. But that will have to wait for a little bit.

Anyways, that's all I have for now. I hope you are having a beautiful weekend and a worshipful Sunday. I have been learning so much about God lately. It's so true that He never ends. We cannot ever learn enough about Him. People ask me questions that I can't answer... why would God create people who will always be dependant upon others for care? I don't know. But sometimes I glimpsed truths in their difficult to understand words that astounded me. Perhaps these are the babes who know more about God than we 'normal' folks could ever comprehend. Food for thought.

Week 3 of Camp

July 19^th, 2011

It has been awhile since I've found the time to write! It has been really, really busy here... time actually passes really fast. I can't believe we're actually into the third week. I can't seem to keep my mind off of the wedding planning. Lol. The time is coming up. :-)

Important things I have discovered:

There will always be something happening at camp to make me miserable. Whether it's a dramatic child or heat or rain or having to haul my keyboard (that gets heavier and heavier each time) to and from the chapel twice a day, it's up to me to choose whether or not I am actually miserable. Lol.

There is always something something to be happy about. Kids who come up to you and hold your hand, just because they want to. Little voices and big voices blending together during mass, praising God. Watching an older child help a younger child. Eating great food three times a day.

“You know why I look happy? Because I get to go mini-golfing today.” -- Keira (7)

July 20^th, 2011

Today was so good. The weather was cool, which was a relief from yesterday and the day before. I have never felt heat like that before. We had kids having water fights and going into the pool all day long yesterday. Wow. But today was much more bearable. We didn't have to use the air conditioner and music sessions had everyone singing their hearts out. When people are miserable, they get ornery.

Today, Stirling and I went with six kids to mini-golfing for an hour or so. We split the kids up into two groups and went to different parts of the course. Stirling took Coty, Kyle and Baron. I took Andrew, Brynn and Rykele. I don't know if Stirling had fun but I sure did. Brynn is the most adorable 5 year old girl you've ever seen. She has long blonde hair and she's really tiny. She and Rykele are sisters (Rykele being eldest). I have only gone golfing once before this so perhaps I am easily impressed. However, Brynn got half of the holes within a couple shots. She simply knew how to hit the ball. Rykele wasn't bad either but Brynn really surprised all of us. :-)

Andrew (7?) was hilarious. He and Kyle are twins. Andrew is a brunette and Kyle is blond but other than that, they are identical. They look so much alike and sound so much alike that I often mistake one for the other. I really enjoy being around them. Anyways, ever before we got to hole 1,  Andrew insisted that we call him “Tiger Woods” because he was so very good at golf. He had, according to him, been to this course about 8 times and had been playing golf most of his life. In fact, he would be waiting for us every time he won against us. Within five minutes, he was almost moaning in pain because he had missed several shots. He began to say what a horrible golfer he was and he really should just leave the game because he was only hurting the other players (us). Over the next hour, depending on how he did, he was at one of these two extremes. Never in the middle. As Miss Cornelia (Anne's House of Dreams) would say, “So like a man!” ;-) I only laughed a couple times. I promise. :-)

 After one music session, we had some extra time to kill, as usual. So I asked some of the kids about their favorite things regarding camp life. It was interesting to get some of their replies. I told them I would blog what they said so here it is. My personal favorite is Mason's. :-) 

Justin (11): I liked the waterslides the best and canteen and activities and being in an awesome cabin, the games in the evening and canoeing. Having friends here.

Colby (13): I liked the waterslides and canoeing best. Having Justin as my friend. I like my cabin members as friends. I like the food. The food is good.

Michael (12): Counselors and canoeing. Waterslides and games. Friends. Pool. Paddle boating. Food! Sleeping. Having friends. Making friends. Learning stuff. Having fun.

Jasmine (11): I am excited for horseback riding and waterslides. The counselors are really nice. I like canoeing.

Mattesyn (12): It's like a Bible camp but they have a bunch of fun stuff too. I love this camp! I love almost everything except that there is a puddle in front of our cabin.

Grace (10): I like everything about camp, especially the food.

Jada (13): Canoeing. I really enjoy being with friends. I've made lots of new ones this year.

Jack (10): I like horse back riding. I like canoeing. I also like the food. My favorite meal so far was the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. I like wood working and the water fight we had in sports today.

Mason (11): I like that I figured out how to get these two water balloons on my fingers! One thing I didn't like how the horse peed while I was getting on it. It went on my foot. I like how I know how I'm going to pass on my swimming.

Joshua (11): I like how the people in this camp spell my name right. And I like my cabin and the people in it.

Levi (10): I like how my cousins can come to this camp and that you get so hot here that you get thrown into the pool.

Noah (8): I like the food, especially the meatballs. I like going swimming the pool.

Jaimie (10): I like doing the art and the music. I probably will enjoy the waterslides too, since I was there once before and really liked it. I like hanging out with my friends in my cabin and starting to make a song for the end of the week.

July 23rd, 2011

For several days I had been really worried about how we were going to pay for certain things for the wedding. One of the biggest ones was the cake. I wanted to make 3 big cheesecakes and 400 cheesecake cupcakes so everyone who came would have some but I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for this. Cream cheese is expensive and so is sour cream. Then  you add things like oreo cookies and fruit to the mix and there goes another $50 or so. Anyways, Gisele and Tylene both grabbed me and sat me down and asked me what I was so worried about and I told them. They helped me figure out how much I really needed to make: 3 cheesecakes and 150 cheesecake cupcakes will feed 200 people. Plus, we're doing potluck dinner so people will bring dessert. Add that to the factor and that cuts down on $$. I was really relieved to think of this and also, where to get the ingredients cheaply... then, the evening of the 20th, Jesse had come out for a visit and Emma grabbed us both to go out and hug with the cabins. They were calling it an early night because it had been so very hot the past couple of days and people were just exhausted. We were at cabin 7 and had just started hugging when Emma suddenly said, "It's prayer time at the MTC [where the counselors all sleep,etc] so we should go do prayers." Neither of us thought anything of it. Jesse didn't even say anything when he saw people hiding behind the couches when we walked up to the door of the MTC. In fact, we still didn't think it was for us when they all leaped up shouting "SURPRISE!!!!" when we walked through the door. ;-) But it was a bridal shower and what a wonderful bridal shower it was. :-) They had made all sorts of delightful goodies, including pizza and chocolate dipped strawberries. Everyone had worked so hard to get it all together and to keep it a secret. I was so shocked. I had not even gotten a hint in the wind that anything was up. Lol. They were really good. :-D 

But the part where I cried was the best, if not the most embarrassing moment of all. I unwrapped the gifts: cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs wrapped in tea towels. The explanation was that they were buying the ingredients for the cake. Yes. I started crying. I had been so worried about how we were going to be paying for all of these things and God just took care of it through the generosity of people I love. I wish I could express how touched we are. There are simply no words for it. 

And yes. This past week was so good. It wasn't just the bridal shower, though that was a big part of it. :-) The kids behaved well for the most part and people really participated in the music. Molly and I were really happy about that. Now I am looking forward to the next and final week. After this, I will have a few days of music camp and then, I will be able to spend time trying to plan wedding. Life is good and life is really busy. 

Positive: I am feeling much more rested than I have in a very long time. Negative: Stirling got injured badly this past week. He will be fine as long as he takes it easy but I am so worried about him. Positive: I have really awesome friends surrounding me. Negative: Some of the big boys really misbehaved on Friday and scared us. Positive: I have had two really amazing bridal showers. Positive: I love teaching music with Molly! Positive: I love Jesse. Positive: I love watching M. Night Shymalan movies. ;-) Positive: God and I. That's awesome.

Week 2 of Camp

July 11^th, 2011. Can you believe it's actually the 11^th? Time is passing so quickly! It seems like we should still be in the first week of camp. :-) But no, we have a brand-new group of kids and I have a different person with me in music. Yes, I'm not alone as I had feared. Molly Fogarty was assigned to music and we are having a blast. Molly and I met last year when she was still a camper and immediately liked each other. Not only does she had the most awesome talent as a guitarist and singer/songwriter, she is also an amazing person. The kids like her. I like her. :-) :-) Can you tell I'm thrilled??

Yesterday when I got back to camp, Seth mentioned that he wasn't feeling well. Sore throat and all that. I gave him some oregano oil, ginseng and zinc. It doesn't seem to be helping. He woke up still feeling really sick and had to spend a good portion of the morning resting. The oregano oil I gave him is usually really strong and costs $20 for a small jar. I tasted some of the new bottle I got and was a little disgusted because it was so weak. Honestly. When you pay money like that, you really would like it to be good quality. ::sigh:: If it was as strong as it usually is, perhaps it would actually be helping. Blah. Anyways, Seth, Brianna and Daniele are all coughing and not feeling well. I have just a touch of a sore throat but I'm trying to dose myself. I really hope to avoid getting sick this year. Last year I got something and it hung on for about two weeks. I completely lost my voice and the girls had to sing for me. Lol. Ah, the joys of camp.

And it is fun. :-) So far, all of the groups have basically cooperated and, more importantly, enjoyed themselves to a certain extent. We have three rules for Castle Musick: 1 – Have fun. 2 – Participate. 3 – Stand while singing. Our schedule ran like this today: 9:00 – group 1. 9:45 – group 7. 10:30 – group 6. 11:15: group 5. Lunch at Noon. 1:00 – group 4. 1:45 – group 3. 2:30 – group 2. The first day, you really do sing for 45 minutes for each group because everyone is learning about the songs, what you expect from them and about each other. The firs day is definitely hardest in some ways. They like to test you and see if you're a liar or not. They like to see how far they can push their group buddies. Lol. The girls like to flirt with the boys and be all shy. ;-)

The activities this year are: art, music, swimming, catechism, survivor, sports and woodworking. Added to that are three meals, canteen, cabin clean-up, horse back riding, golf, waterslides, mass, free time, canoeing, etc, etc. As counselors, we try to keep the kids busy all day long, from 7:45 am to 10:00 pm. Usually we are up an hour later than that with prayers and winding down.

Highlights from the evening of the 10^th and so far today:

     meeting the kids when they arrived at camp. Familiar faces! New faces! Really exciting.

           going into the pool for the first time: yes!!

       Listening to Morgan (10) play Fur Elise, which he taught to himself. Impressive. 

          Hearing how one of the boys threw up, then went back into the Mess Hall and asked for cake.

     Eating the best birthday cake I've ever had.

     Listening to my boys regale us with tales about the camp director made them behave last night when they were being wild and boy-like.

     Playing music and singing with Molly.

July 12^th, 2011

Me: Jordan, you need to sing.
Jordan (12 yr. Old boy): I was singing.

Me: Nope. You were talking.

Jordan: Johnny Cash talked sang and he was famous.

Molly: And Johnny Cash... is dead.

Lol!

I feel like a new person. :-) Yesterday, I spent most of the day feeling sick. It seems that I had gotten a flu/cold combination. I dosed up really well and never threw up but I had no energy. Even with a rest between sessions and supper, by the time 8 pm had rolled around, I went to my room and crashed. Today, I woke up before my alarm rang and have been full of energy for most of the day. Tonight, I went in the pool with the kids and had lots of fun for a little over an hour, then went and had my shower. I still feel like I have lots of energy so I can join the hug crew tonight.

Seth and Daniele are both feeling much better, as well. It's good to have everyone back. :-) Stirling is sick now but he seems to not be feeling so badly. A couple of my boys have been sick (they probably picked something up from me!) but they both seem to be on the mend as well.

Today, the singing went so well. The kids sang and had fun and asked for extra songs to sing. I am so happy. :-) Molly and I make a good team. We both love music and we both sing our hearts out. We're both adore kids and at the same time, are firm with them. It makes for a great partnership. Doing music class feels really natural with Molly involved.

Some valuable lessons have been thrown into my lap the past couple of days. The most important one is that no act of love ever goes without notice. Someone sees, someone feels, someone appreciates, someone thinks. So, dear self, whenever you are feeling anxious and perhaps irritated at a child who seems to think his sole purpose in life is to make your existence miserable, don't give in to the pressure. The easy path is to snap at him or her and try to make them feel as annoyed as you feel. Lol. The hard path... well, it is referred to as the hard path for a reason. ;-)

Well, it's time for campfire, I think. Goodnight. I hope you're having as great of a month as I am having! Remind me to tell you about the other lesson .... namely, the one in which I have to take to heart the words of a song... “please swallow your pride... if I have something you need to borrow... lean on me...”

Focus -- Week 1 of the Kenosee Boys and Girls Camp

“That's the nice boy with glasses who's name you cannot ever remember. But I'm the nicer boy with glasses.” --Braeden M.

Children are wonderful. They are so uninhibited and express themselves without qualm. I find such honesty in them and it makes me feel humbled and amazed all at once. This week has been one of great learning, teaching and discovering. The children have been really testing me and forcing me to search out who I am as a person. I really miss my sisters... but at the same time, I am so thankful for a chance to learn more of who I am.

Right now, I'm sitting in the MTC typing on my computer, randomly scratching the mosquito bites on my right ankle with my left foot. Tonight at the church service, my feet got bitten three times in that many seconds. Blah. I hate mosquito bites. They burn for a very long time and swell up. But I have been having a pretty good time otherwise. ;-) Anyways, I'm sitting on a couch, listening to music, watching one of my guys lay on the couch (his tummy has really been hurting all afternoon) and enjoying the company of my fellow counselors. There were only 24 kids this week and 21 counselors, so we're almost one to one with the kids. Lol. They got lots of love this week.

My job is music again. :-)  I thought I was going to have Tylene to help me but it turned out that she is in kitchen. Then, they said that Jesse S. was going to be on music. I was so relieved because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle all of the kids on my own. I can't really play and keep them all in line at once. It was hard enough with Hannah and Lydia and myself! Anyways. Jesse S. has been amazing and it has been a really great week working with him. He is really great with kids and plays the piano well. We take turns playing and working with the kids.

Most of the children have been really great. They are so obedient and they cooperate very well. I really enjoy them. But there are always the odd men out... we have two who especially cause us no end of grief. Yesterday (Wednesday) was our worst day, by far. We couldn't get either boy to cooperate; they wouldn't sing, they wouldn't stand still, they wouldn't do the motions, they wouldn't do anything but run around and yell or say inappropriate things. Lol. I lost my patience and got a little snappish with them. I also made them do push-ups. ::sigh:: So today I was going to take a different approach. I told the guys that I wanted to be their friend and yes, I would like them to sing! But if they didn't want to, I wouldn't make them. One of the guys actually sat up and sang and did the motions. Jesse and I were so thrilled. :-) The other guy alternated between sitting and standing, singing and not singing but his face wasn't sullen. He seemed much happier. :-)   

Next week we are not sure how many kids we're having because of the postal strike but we're thinking around 60 -70. It was nice this week to be able to ease into the job and not have that many kids right off the bat. Also, this coming week, I'm not sure I am going to have any help. I am slightly nervous about this. Lol. Hopefully I will be able to think creatively and remember that praying for wisdom is never without answers. 

Cheers! May the coming week be glorious and full of joy. I am rejoicing in the goodness of God and looking forward to the challenges of the coming week.... who knows? Maybe we'll all come down with the flu, like last year! ;-)

Happy Summer

June was not over

Though past the fall,

And the best of her roses

Had yet to blow... 

--Robert Browning 

(Another Way Of Love)

I love old poetry... listening to the Nasby brothers sing and play... watching fireworks whirl and spin through the night sky... feeling raw emotion.... dancing in the bright sunlight... laughing with children...

These things I have been doing; thinking about; feeling. I am really tired. :-) Thus, my thoughts are scattered right now. Today we had our garage sale again and sold a lot of things. Hurrah! I guess the right people needed the things we had yesterday. I have also been addressing wedding invitations for two days and still have quite a few to go. I wanted to be done before I leave for camp tomorrow but I don't think that's going to happen. However, I can work on them at camp in the evenings...

I probably won't be online much this coming month and maybe not in August either. But there is no telling what the months will bring! I am really looking forward to working with the kids at camp. I intend on having a good time. :-D  However, perhaps this is good. I am resting in the grace of God.

Some exciting news: my sister Hannah is dating a very nice young man she met in Bible College. Love you guys. :-) 

May you all have a beautiful, full Summer. Enjoy the sun and the rain...

Lovin' Those Baby Steps (Wait A Minute, Do Holters Actually Know How to Take Those?)

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:40)

I have lately been posting status updates on FB like this: "I am so glad I don't know the future." Life brings so many questions to my door. Part of me would really love to just know what the future holds and act accordingly. The other part of me is more thankful that I don't. :-) Why is this? Well, jest set down for a spell and I'll tell ya. :-)

If I knew the future, I would likely try to change it.
If I knew the future, I would act abnormally.
If I knew the future, I wouldn't be able to love people.
If I knew the future, I would hate myself.
And most importantly...
If I knew the future, I wouldn't trust in God.

Over the course of the past months, so many new experiences and situations have leaped up and presented themselves to me. I don't react well with change, even if it's good and something I love. So, I turn to God.

It is there that I realize something about our relationship. What makes it healthy? What makes God happy? What makes me a stronger, more faithful person? Yes, He wants us to cry unto Him when we are frightened and uncertain. Yes, He appreciates that we don't turn our backs on Him. But what parent doesn't admire a child who gets back up after tumbling down for the 300th time? Children face the new world on wobbly legs and a courageous heart, taking their first steps eagerly. They have no idea about the rough spot in the lawn just ahead of them. They have no idea that Legos really hurt when you sit down hard. They have no idea that they might hit their head on the cupboard door and get a goose egg. Interpretation: they don't know the future. Yet, they wobble on until they wobble no longer and the Legos are their friends :-)

Yesterday, the thought crossed my brain that I've been using God as something to blame things on. Analogy: I've been clinging to Him in fear and not willing to take those first steps. I've been "having faith" but not honestly walking in faith. I've doubted my strength and God's grace and love towards me. I have been approaching decisions weakly and without heart.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (James 1:5-6)


Me over the past week: "Um, God... like, I'm really happy but really, really scared and I really don't know if you know what you're doing, but um, if this is what you want...tell me why again??" Is there faith, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, love, etc, etc, in that? No. It is fear, a little anger, hopelessness. Where is my heart? I know God is standing right beside me. There is no room for fear!

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Oh yes, I am still approaching life with caution. My legs are still wobbly. :-) But with more joy and more faith... and different kinds of prayers. The "thank you, God" kinds of prayers. He has promised to accomplish a good work in me and I know He will. There will always be pain and uncertainties but they will never be too much for God's children. He has promised this.

So, not knowing the future, I walk away from my fears. My legs are still weak but my heart is learning courage and strength. There is more happiness and joy than I thought possible.

For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. 

                                                 (Proverbs 3: 26)

God, do you really want me to... what?!

Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. (2 Cor. 1: 24)

There is always someone annoying in my life. It doesn't matter where I go or what situation I'm in, there is that person(s) that I find distinctly irritating.

All summer, there was this little girl in my life. Normally, I love little girls. But this little girl... well, let's just say that she was not enjoyable to be around. For the record, I wasn't the only one who had a hard time with her. But mine was the conscience who stung when I found myself disliking her. I knew that I did not have the attitude towards her that God wanted me to. I never treated her poorly but whenever I was kind to her, it wasn't from my heart. I was basically lying to her and to everyone I was around.

But she wouldn't leave me alone! All summer long, my path kept crossing this little girl's path. I knew God had a reason but I did not ask for help. I did not want to like this girl. She deserved to be disliked. So there.

Then, Michele came to camp. The little girl acted up, as usual and I suddenly found myself pouring out my heart to Michele. What should I do? I knew I was not letting God work through me and through my stubbornness, my relationship with Him, and others in my life, was suffering.

Michele smiled at me when I had finished my tale of woe and said, "I find that if I smother an unloving child with love, it makes all the difference in the world. Yes, our initial reaction is to not love them and to give them what they deserve. But what they need and what will change them is loving them." It was like a light bulb flash in my head. Duh. What I've missed out on this summer! I couldn't believe how blind I had been.

Of course, God had prompted me to ask for help. Of course, He hadn't forced the issue. He just let my conscience make me miserable for weeks on end. :-) I realized suddenly how unloving I had been. I was no better than this little girl.

After getting my focus back in it's proper place and asking for God to help me love this girl like He wanted me to, my life got much sweeter. My heart was finally at rest and I was able to love this girl with a true, pure love that can only come from God. I prayed for opportunities to show her that I really loved her.

Two times. Two brief encounters that made us both smile and the happiness spread like ripples from a pebble dropped into a puddle. Then, she was out of my life. I had to smile at the irony of it. As soon as my heart was in the right place, God took the irritation away. Then, he replaced her with people I absolutely love being around. Lol. I love Him.

This lesson has seen me through some difficult experiences the past few weeks. More irritating people in my life? Yep! But I am not as stubborn this time. :-) When you begin thinking 'what can I give this person' instead of 'what can I get from this person', your entire perspective of these people is so different. You see more of their qualities, instead of just their irritating habits.

I was reading in 1 Corinthians (btw, I love 1 Corinthians. It has so many gems tucked away in it.) chapter 15, verse 41: "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory." Each person has their own purpose. I believe that each person needs comfort and help and love from God and other people to blossom into what they were meant to be.

I feel so overwhelmed at times. But there is no reason. I'm not the honey; with God's help, I am just the container. :-)

P.S. The girls in the picture are some of my favorites from camp. :-) Lexie and Cameron. If you think of them, please pray for them. Lexie especially needs all the prayers she can get.

July 18th

July 18^th, 2010

Happy birthday, Lindsey! :-) I hope it is wonderful and full of joy. Much love and hugs.

I can't believe it's actually been two weeks since we have been doing music here at camp. It's been an amazingly time... I have learned so much, gained so many new friends and discovered that the impossible is not as impossible as I thought...

The days have their problems but they are never more than I can bear. The stress is there but it is much less when I remember to place it on God. There have been so many opportunities to share God's love and joy with those around me. The counselors are all in their teens, therefore eager to talk about the supernatural and the wonders of the unknown. God is all of that and more, so He often enters the conversation. Some of the people I'm around all week have a better understanding of God than I do... I have learned so much from them.

Teaching music has been an amazing experience. We have found that we girls work very well together... Hannah is our disciplinarian (meaning, she enforces the rules; i.e. tickling or asking one of the older boy students for the loan of muscles), Lydia helps a little there, gives us ideas, plays and sings and loves on the kids and I'm the organizer who helps with the other areas somewhat. We really balance each other out and it seems to be working because by the end of the week, kids are asking to skip woodworking (session after ours) and spend another 45 minutes in music.

The first week was much better than the second in many ways. Week one was boys only and we had a wonderful group of them. There was little or no bullying; lots of respect and willing to do as asked, etc. It was really difficult to choose which group to award!

My cabin was the best. I kid you not. I was referred to as the “cabin mother” and did you know that I'm a “very commanding person”? Lol! I had Justin, Stirling, Cordell and Colton. The first two came back last week as CITs (i.e. Counselors in training). I was pretty thrilled with that and would have loved it if Cordell could have come, as well. It's interesting how all the boys, at almost the same ages, are so different. Justin loves being in command and wants to grow up very quickly... he acts very sure of himself. Stirling is really tall... he's 13 years old and 5'10. :-) He's all boy and likes where he's at. He's wonderful with the kids and is becoming one of my best friends. Cordell and Colton are brothers and are exact opposites. I had to laugh at them because even though Cordell complained about how Colton made the cabin messy and loud, etc, etc, etc, you could tell how much he adored Colton and vice-versa. They were really close. Cordell is more quiet and shy... unsure of who he is and where life is leading him. I spent a lot of time talking to him and we got to know each other pretty well. The best compliment he gave me was that he didn't think of me as a girl/female but as a friend. Colton was hilarious. The last day, there is a skit/songs etc, that the kids do for the benefit of the parents/grandparents/whoever comes to pick them up and Colton was one of the MC's. We found out that he's a natural comedian. I mean, really, really funny. One of the funniest things I have ever seen was Justin and Cordell's act of Justin and his dummy (Cordell). The latter can go completely limp and when stressed out, his voice goes squeaky. It was so funny I had tears in my eyes from laughing. :-)

The past week was not nearly has wonderful, though some of the best kids from the week before came back... and I had another really good cabin. This time I was with Caitlyn and Breanna in Cabin 4 ½ and had 13 girls ages 6 to 10. They were the sweetest girls and we decided to award them the Sweety-Pie Cabin award. :-) :-)

The difficulties began on Sunday afternoon when a kid tried to strangle Stirling under water in the pool. After that, it was only more and more difficult. Same boys were bullying, playing knock-knock ginger (run up to a cabin at night, knock on the door/shutter and run away), causing night disturbances, etc.

Then, there was the homesickness. One of the girls in Cabin 5 was extremely homesick... I stayed up until 1:30 am the first night, trying to get her calmed down enough to sleep. She was so tense that her feet were twitching and her stomach was killing her. Finally, Tala took her to the nurse to get some medicine to calm down. The good thing about the situation is that Cameron and I got to know each other really well and I was able to talk to her about Jesus like I've never been able to do with anyone else before. The really good thing about it was that she stayed the entire week, even though she was homesick at night.

Then, the flu arrived at camp. The week before, some of the kids had had it but it was really bad this week. 6 of my girls had it! That's almost half of the cabin. It was really interesting. Lol! Pretty soon, we had kids gathered in the music room laying all over the couches and floor... sleeping, listening to me play the keyboard or watching films on my laptop.

I am so thankful there is a nurse at camp. His name is Clinton and I hereby declare him to be one of the most patient men on the planet. A couple of nights he had people in the nursing cabin until 1 in the morning... and most of it was stuff that didn't need a nurse. Personally, I know I got him a couple times for one of my girls when (looking back I realize) I didn't need to. But he didn't seem to mind and I appreciate the fact that he encourages me to be there with the child when being treated.. allows me to try to be helpful and never acts hurried or upset. I know very little about first-aid or anything medical except for what we've gone through as a family so this has been a very good experience for me.

Music class went really well again. It was like kids left their problems outside the music room door and became better people with the music. I feel so blessed. We are still praying before every session and the kids seem to be fine with it... in fact, they wait for it. I appreciate the fact. :-) We teach them about 10 songs a week... maybe one or two more. We try to do fun ones like I've Got the Joy, Awesome God, I'm in the Lord's Army, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, etc. You can tell which ones are the biggest hits when you hear kids singing songs while they walk around camp. The first week, we taught them I Saw the Light and it was so funny listening to the kids sing it outside of session. They were so enthusiastic about the song... everyone loved it. We sing the songs each night at the church service so they have to know the songs at least a little bit by the end of the first day.

We usually have about 10 to 15 minutes of spare time at the end of each session so we let the kids play the instruments or talk or, if the trampoline is available, let them play a game on it (1 kid at a time).

Probably the best thing about teaching music is that you get to know each child. Their personality, how well they behave, where they are in life, how much they enjoy life. :-) Some of it is good, some of it is sad. I wish I could help all of the kids onto a better life.

We really have gotten to know a trio of siblings the past two weeks. The boys came two weeks and the girl only came the past week... we're hoping she will be able to come the coming week, as well. We sort of fell in love with all of them and adopted them as our 'own' kids. They come from a difficult home situation so it was really sad when they left on Friday.

I have been pretty sick the past week. I only felt really sick for a couple days but my voice has left me and yesterday, I was basically whispering all day. Lol! I felt wonderful though. The only problems have been the coughing... sometimes I can't stop and I get so tired. This morning I feel like I had the flu... my stomach is really sore. But I think I'm getting better so I'm happy about that. I really want my voice back this week though. :-)

Anyways, I'm off and going to eat my lunch. :-) I love the people I work with.

July 5th

July 5^th, 2009

Our first day of teaching. Wow.

First let me say this: the kids are great. In fact, they were more than great today; they were wonderful. Session One was interesting. The kids were all... hm. How shall we say this? Energetic. Hehe. We made some rules up right away: You must stand while singing. If you do not stand when we issue the command, you have exactly until the count of three before you get tickled to death. Unfortunately, that only works with 80% of the campers as some children enjoy being tickled to death. Session Two was better but we still had trouble with the songs. I don't know if we were trying too hard or what. But the kids were patient. :-)

Session Three and Four were probably the best. They were so funny. They knew the songs. They did the motions... in fact, they really got into them! Lol. Of course, two of the boys in both those groups were from my cabin (therefore, I'm one of their special counselors) so they did their best. But they were really, really funny. Making jokes about each other and singing their hearts out...

I am signed up for Cabin 6. Basically, it's James (age 17) and myself with four oldest boys ( ages 10-14). They are so well behaved and gentlemanly. We won first place today in the cabin clean-up. We were all so surprised because we didn't know how clean the other cabins were. James kept saying, “We'll probably get last place or something or maybe tie for fifth...” and Stirling (one of our boys) would reply, “Shut up!” :-P :-) Anyways, the judges went from 5^th place on up and we started thinking maybe we had gotten even 3^rd or 2^nd. But it was still a great surprise when they announced that Cabin 6 was the winner. :-)

I am amazed at the change in young people when they receive a load of responsibility. They become adults. The children look up to the counselors... it's an awesome feeling. I was frightened by it yesterday even though I was loving having the boys around. Camp is so lonesome without the children! But today I think my feet are finding some firm ground... it's going to be ok.

We decided that some things are going to happen:

1: To the best (meaning, tries the hardest) group, we will give prizes to at the end of the week.

2: When we finish early, the kids are allowed to play the instruments until Session time is over.

3: And the rules of our classroom will be followed with the only exceptions due to ill health.

4: We will begin every session with prayer.

My brain has quit working. So until later. Lol. :-)

Out of the mouths of little babes...

My friend Lindsey posted this joke on her blog... never fails to make me laugh. :-D

http://acrosstherange.blogspot.com/2009/03/religious-objects.html

*chuckles*