My Favorite Place

When I was ten years old, my parents sent me to Music Camp at Camp Lambec. It is a Christian camp that our church helped to sponsor. We picked the music week because, at that point, I had an entire year of clarinet experience.

That summer, even though the camp was only for one week, was a huge part of shaping who I am today. I continued attending each summer and that week became a refuge where I could be myself and speak of Christ openly. Many of those friends I made my first few years are still close friends today. It is hard to explain how that works-we saw each other once a year in our pre-driving days and not even too often after that. We all attended different colleges and settled in various areas. Yet, when we are together at the annual New Years parties, weddings, and random get-togethers, we fall into our respective roles like family.

This explains why many of us are still volunteer counselors for the same music week. I always thought someday we would move on, yet we still keep coming. Some of us are now married, some have kids, some have moved states away for jobs-yet, we still keep making that trip to Lambec.

It is not just a nostalgic thing, because Nick understands it, too. My city-boy husband went as a counselor one year and after the first day, he looked at me and said, "So, this is why you all keep coming back."

We leave tomorrow morning for this wonderful place and I know I will have lots of stories to tell when I get back. There will be funny incidents, never-ending inside jokes, but most importantly, there will be stories of God's provision over the entire week. He is the One who makes the week come together the way it does. I will try and journal on paper the specific ways I see this happen and will be sharing this with you all when we return.

I also want to post something my best friend, Lisa, wrote to me in 2001. We worked on staff together for two summers and I will post her memories for all of you who know Lambec. You will know exactly what she is writing about, so enjoy!

Our Shadows

There is a chain reaction in our home. Whatever Nick and I say gets repeated by Abby, who in turn is teaching Caleb to say it. Usually, I find this helpful because our kids are learning quickly and I enjoy being able to communicate with them. Somedays, it is exhausting.

Because this is a family friendly blog, I won't repeat the exact words that have come out of their mouths, but trust me that any little swear word, even in a joking manner to other adults, can and will be used by toddlers. Enough said on that matter.

My favorite line of the week was when Abby yelled from the bathroom, "Mommy, I pooped!" and Caleb quickly followed up with, "Ba Ba, Abby pooped!" I love how he thinks he is helping, just in case I (and the rest of the neighborhood for that matter) did not hear his sister the first time.

Not only are words repeated, but so are actions. Once again, I love this in many ways. Nick and I have books in every room and both of the kids are huge readers. I often find them in their rooms, just sitting in a big pile of books, content as can be. Abby memorizes everything and reads it almost word for word, while Caleb points out everything he sees.

However, I also see the downside to this shadowing. I have to see my own sin thrown back at me every day. When I see Abby react to something in anger or frustration, I know she sees that in me. When I ask her to do something and she gives me the line, "Just a minute" or "I just have to do this thing first," I hear my own voice. It is quite humbling.

Sometimes I think one of the hidden gifts of having children is a way for God to make us aware of our deep need for Him. Just when we think we are doing okay, He has one of those little blessings say and do things to make us stop and have an amazing appreciation of grace.

Friends in Faith

While on vacation, I got to meet up with a former college roommate of mine. Jodie lives in NC, where we stayed for a night at Nick's uncle's house. So, through the wonder of facebook, we figured out we were 20 minutes away from each other and met for breakfast.

We were roommates our freshman year, along with two other girls. You could not put together four more different people in one room! We had a great year and I am very thankful for the friendships we developed back then. All four of us went on to live in different buildings and Jodie and I actually had not seen each other since our junior year. Thanks to the internet, we started emailing these past few months and it is like we are picking up where we left off.

I had such a wonderful time visiting with her and we could have talked for hours if not for the rest of my family being ready to drive to the beach. Even though our lives are so different from where we first started off, our hearts are still the same. Jodie is still such a strong woman of faith with a very compassionate heart. No matter what life has handed her, she keeps trusting in God and seeking His purpose in her life.

What is it about friendships like this? Not speaking for almost ten years and still our conversation just flows. There is a familiarity that brings us comfort. It makes me excited for Heaven and how amazing it will be to see our brothers and sisters in Christ. It will not matter how much time has passed or what anger we used to hold in hearts-it will be familiar, yet perfect.

Heaven should interrupt my selfish thoughts and consume all of my relationships.

Sayings

Sometimes I forget that my kids are not as old as they pretend to be and do not quite understand "sayings." For example...

Abby: "Can I please have a snack before bedtime?"
Me: "No, because you had snacks left and right at the softball game tonight."
Abby: "Was the popcorn on the left and the pretzels on the right?"

Home Sweet Home

Have you ever noticed that the home you might seem discontent with is suddenly so wonderful when you have been away for awhile? We got home from vacation last night around 11:00 p.m. and I was so happy to step inside our house. The thoughts of what I want to change about it or the fact that we have it on the market to sell never crossed my mind. All I thought about was how grateful I was to relax and be settled.

The kids felt the same gratitude and expressed it in the following ways...
Caleb walked into the house and yelled, "Abby's house!"
Abby ran inside and into every corner of the downstairs yelling, "It's my light! It's my drumset! It's my toys!"
Then they both sat down and started building a tower with blocks, pretty much right in the middle of the living room where we were trying to walk and put down luggage.

I love that my kids are happy to be home. They had a great time on vacation, but I could tell by the end, they were ready for their own beds and the place where they felt the most safe. I felt the same way. I know this house is temporary and so are all the items inside, but there is something comfortable about being here. I have to remind myself of this every time I feel discontent about the little things.

A Little Bravery

My daughter never ceases to surprise me. We were walking through an outdoor shopping area this evening when Abby spotted a trampoline place for kids her age. I immediately thought she would keep on walking because it looked scary, but she begged to go on it. She watched other kids jump, saw them get harnessed in, and still wanted to go. We paid the money, took her to the guy in charge, and she suited up. All of the sudden, panic took over and she was afraid to jump. I had a feeling that would happen, but I was still so proud of her for trying it out. The picture posted is when she was still feeling brave and getting her harness on.

Happy Thoughts

When I worked on the permanent staff at Camp Lambec, my best friend/roommate Lisa always told me to have happy thoughts before falling asleep. It became a tradition for us that I have passed on to college roommates and youth group students. Two nights ago, Abby had a terrible night of sleep, having bad dreams that caused her to toss and turn. So, last night, I decided to past on the tradition of sharing happy thoughts before heading off to sleep.

We went out on the balcony, away from the insane volume of our family, and just sat and talked about things that made us happy. She listed her many thoughts, namely recent things of this week, like Uncle Tony's house, the beach, ice cream...but, also the typical things like her house, her toys, and going to Grammy's house. Needless to say, she slept great. The kids even slept in until 8:00 a.m. (trust me, that is wonderful to us).

It has been a great reminder to me to think such thoughts before falling asleep. Nick and I try to keep the "not going to bed angry" policy, but have failed from time to time (pretty much because we are both stubborn people). I always notice a difference in my sleep and bad dreams on those nights. If I have a lot of tasks ahead of me the next day or had just finished an exhausting day, I usually do not sleep well. Perhaps if I just took those few minutes before falling asleep to be thankful to God, I would notice a change in my sleep and my attitude the following day.

Leading me to the huge reminder of spending quiet time with God. This week has been a challenge because it always seems there is no where to go to have that precious time. When it was just Nick and myself on vacation, I still found time to be quiet and rest in God's presence. With kids it is a little different. Even when they are napping, it is in our room. It is just part of vacation and I have seen God at work in so many other things that I am always learning. But, I also notice a change in my attitude when that time is lacking. Even Jesus took time to pray and be alone, especially right before and right after performing miracles. Why is it easier to avoid quiet time, thinking we do not have time, when it is clearly so beneficial to every part of our being?

I would like to note that tonight, after Abby put on her pajamas and had her hair combed, she went to the balcony door and said, "Come on, Mommy! It's time to sit and talk about our happy day."