My daughter and I have this thing we do. In September of 2011 we bought a notebook and I wrote questions in there for her to answer. Then I put the notebook on her desk. She gets around to answering the questions and then she writes two questions for me to answer and places the notebook on my desk. I put the notebook on her desk last December with a couple questions about Christmas and then forgot about it.
Last week, she cleaned her room (I had had enough) and she cleaned her desk and found the notebook. She answered the questions about Christmas, but the questions she wrote for me stopped me in my tracks.
I leave for Camp full time next Wednesday and I have been a flurry of activity cleaning the house, get budget stuff set up, making sure doing chores won't take more time for my husband than he has time for and so on....
Her question to me was: What are you looking forward to at Camp Tamarack this summer?
Looking forward to.
I have been spending so much time and energy looking at where I am leaving from - my home, that I forgot to look forward to Camp.
It has been a lot to ask my family for me to take on this job that I sometimes feel guilty about leaving them at home, with chores and the duties I usually do every day/week/month.
Every person should be able to look forward to something so here is the start of my list!
I am looking forward to:
Time at Vespers
Time in my kayak on the Chain O'Lakes
Working with some amazing people
Watching campers grow, struggle and smile
Getting a tan
Runs through the forest
Watching stars at night
Campfires
What a unique opportunity I have with this job as Director of Camping Ministries and I am going to look forward to living it :-)
What are you looking forward to?
Camp logo
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Staring at a blank screen
I have been looking at this blank screen for a few minutes now, not sure what to write. I think part of my problem today coming up with a topic has to do with the title of this blog and what's going on in my day to day life. The blog is called "What's Up at Camp Tamarack" and my day to day life has a lot more going on.
For camp, we are still working on finalizing cabin leaders. I am not sure what history is in obtaining cabin leaders and if there has ever been a summer where everything has been lined up and there have been no last minute pleas or scrambles to get everything set. I remember a few summers where on a Saturday night my Grandpa Epps would tell me I was packing a bag and heading to camp to be a cabin leader. Well, first you don't argue with Grandpa and second, why wouldn't I want to go to camp. I think I need to find a better way to ask people (or rather tell people :-) ) they are coming to camp to help.
The mini-mission weekend is coming up so Mark and Deb are prepping for the physical "opening" of camp and getting things organized.
I am weaning myself off of TV and starting a book list. I won't have a class this summer so will have some fun reading time.
Kim has started a list for our first food order.
Camp staff are getting packed and ready to head up to start work in June.
I am packing or at least thinking of what to pack and I realize I am leaving my husband and daughter again for the summer. Now we do have plans to stay connected, but that ties to other things happening in my life. I am preaching this Sunday on Solitude and have been giving a lot of thought to being alone and lonely vs solitude. Sometimes even when there is a busy and full camp, I am lonely. I miss my home and my husband. Sometimes though I find solitude in the kayak or sitting at Vespers. I know I need to do a lot more thinking/research/praying before the sermon is ready, but I am wondering where you find solitude and how you differentiate between being alone vs lonely?
Shalom
For camp, we are still working on finalizing cabin leaders. I am not sure what history is in obtaining cabin leaders and if there has ever been a summer where everything has been lined up and there have been no last minute pleas or scrambles to get everything set. I remember a few summers where on a Saturday night my Grandpa Epps would tell me I was packing a bag and heading to camp to be a cabin leader. Well, first you don't argue with Grandpa and second, why wouldn't I want to go to camp. I think I need to find a better way to ask people (or rather tell people :-) ) they are coming to camp to help.
The mini-mission weekend is coming up so Mark and Deb are prepping for the physical "opening" of camp and getting things organized.
I am weaning myself off of TV and starting a book list. I won't have a class this summer so will have some fun reading time.
Kim has started a list for our first food order.
Camp staff are getting packed and ready to head up to start work in June.
I am packing or at least thinking of what to pack and I realize I am leaving my husband and daughter again for the summer. Now we do have plans to stay connected, but that ties to other things happening in my life. I am preaching this Sunday on Solitude and have been giving a lot of thought to being alone and lonely vs solitude. Sometimes even when there is a busy and full camp, I am lonely. I miss my home and my husband. Sometimes though I find solitude in the kayak or sitting at Vespers. I know I need to do a lot more thinking/research/praying before the sermon is ready, but I am wondering where you find solitude and how you differentiate between being alone vs lonely?
Shalom
Monday, May 6, 2013
This is really about that
When I arrived at the office this morning I found a stack of registrations waiting to be entered into the database and have confirmation letters sent back to campers. It was a pretty cool site to see.
I will let you in on a secret, before the camping seasons and the Winter Youth Retreats last year and this year I was afraid not one person would sign up. I know that is just plain silly, but it was a real fear that went through my brain - more than once. It is also a selfish fear. You see, sometimes I have a tendency for things to be about me. About my need for approval as the new Director of Camping Ministries, my need to make sure things are just right and my need for success.
Camp is not about me, camp is about a space where God can work in people's lives in whatever way that needs to happen. Where I do fit in to God's plan is to help make that successful and safe.
One thing I have learned (out of many things) so far in my tenure in this role is that the way one person experiences God is not the same way someone else does or needs to.
There is a book I read where the author looks at the Bible and breaks down some of the themes and stories. What was interesting was he pointed out that most of the time what we think is the initial message is really about something else if you understand the wording or history behind it. I am finding that same pattern in my interactions with family, friends, co-workers. What starts off as one topic really turns in to another. We just have to take the time to get there and follow the clues.
Is there something you are worried about or angry about? Is the issue really that topic or is there something else?
I will let you in on a secret, before the camping seasons and the Winter Youth Retreats last year and this year I was afraid not one person would sign up. I know that is just plain silly, but it was a real fear that went through my brain - more than once. It is also a selfish fear. You see, sometimes I have a tendency for things to be about me. About my need for approval as the new Director of Camping Ministries, my need to make sure things are just right and my need for success.
Camp is not about me, camp is about a space where God can work in people's lives in whatever way that needs to happen. Where I do fit in to God's plan is to help make that successful and safe.
One thing I have learned (out of many things) so far in my tenure in this role is that the way one person experiences God is not the same way someone else does or needs to.
There is a book I read where the author looks at the Bible and breaks down some of the themes and stories. What was interesting was he pointed out that most of the time what we think is the initial message is really about something else if you understand the wording or history behind it. I am finding that same pattern in my interactions with family, friends, co-workers. What starts off as one topic really turns in to another. We just have to take the time to get there and follow the clues.
Is there something you are worried about or angry about? Is the issue really that topic or is there something else?
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