Something on My Bucket List

I don't usually read this magazine that comes to my house every month, but this time the cover sucked me in.  I have become a big fan of Jeff Daniels over the past few years and wanted to see what he had to say.  Turns out, it was a lot.

My interest in Jeff Daniels has grown from recently watching the HBO series on Netflix called Newsroom.  It was written by Aaron Sorkin, another person I am a big fan of ever since watching his TV series West Wing and movie The American President.  Newsroom shows the behind-the-scenes working of a network news service.  It is riveting and smart.  Jeff Daniels won an Emmy for his portrayal of Will McAvoy, the network anchor man.  Phil and I just finished watching all three seasons, and it provided us with many topics to think about and discuss. 

But getting back to Daniels,  he's such a talented guy, and I admire him for his art, but the article let's you know that he's a very thoughtful guy as well.  He and his wife have been married for forty years and have three children.  During their parenting days, they moved back to their hometown, Chelsey, Michigan, to give their kids a more normal upbringing than they would have in Hollywood or New York.  This is all pretty remarkable for those in the acting profession.

Daniels is in the news because he is currently in the Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird.  After being able to see a production of Hamilton in San Francisco, seeing Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch, with the script written by Aaron Sorkin, is the next thing on my bucket list.  

In the article, Daniels makes a couple of statements that I found very remarkable.  I thought I might pass them along here.

Daniels spent a summer memorizing the script for Mockingbird.  Actors don't usually arrive at first rehearsals with the script memorized, but Daniels did, because "the profile of this thing was so big that I wanted to be prepared."  Whatever anxiety he felt about appearing in Peck's shadow, he overcame by doing what his upbringing had trained him to do.  "If you want to combat nerves, be more prepared," he said.  "It's the Midwestern work ethic."

"Here's the other thing about all of this," he said next.  "I'm working harder than in any decade of my life, which is not how they draw it up in star school.  Acting is craft, and when you get roles like I've had lately, you need everything you've ever learned to pull them off.  I find myself using things I learned years ago.  I tell drama kids, 'Find out what you want to do and spend the rest of your life getting better at it,' and that is still the case, I find, at 64."

Words of wisdom from a talented man.

I'll let you know if my bucket list dream comes true.

Yes, he is the Dumb and Dumber guy, too.

Fruits of Summer

There are many ways to describe the summer and give an accounting of the fruits that have come our way.  I've already informed you each week of the work with the children and staff.  The blessings and benefits of just this have filled me up over the past couple of months.  But there are other things that need to be recognized and added to the tally.

During the last few days that we spent at camp there were a lot of comings and goings.  Last Saturday the church groups who were attending Mission 3 Week began to arrive.  These included several dear friends who come every summer to help mop up after all the activity of the summer.  They also do a lot of work preparing the camp for winter by cutting and stacking wood for the wood stoves.  One project included tearing down one of the camper cabins so it can be replaced in the spring.

Staff who have been there for the summer begin to make their way home, so we had several goodbyes.  Goodbyes at camp tend to be quite long and drawn out.  They may occur at any hour of the day or night, depending on the planned departure time of the group or individual. They also include people chasing after the departing vehicle and waves from the ballfield.  Phil has begun to refer sarcastically to one ritual as "the circle of love" where everyone gathers and gives hugs to all in the circle.  It is not his favorite thing, nor is it mine, so we said our goodbyes on Sunday evening.  There was still a small gathering when we left, but it was much more manageable.  One picture I regret not snapping was Phil comically giving a bear hug to our friend Seth, who is 6'11".  To see Phil hug someone a whole head taller than him was quite a sight, and a strange experience for him.

One tally of the wealth of the summer is all the friendships that were cultivated or rekindled during our time at camp.  Another measure is the amount of reading we are able to do.  Without the benefit of TV, there's lots of time for good books.  We both read several, but I'll just give an accounting a few that I read.

I set aside time every morning for devotional reading, but I have added to this a short passage or poem from several books or magazines.  These include poems from The Sun and Her Flowers (an immigrant's story) by Rupi Kaur and Now I Lay Me Down to Fight (about her fight with breast cancer) by Katy Bowser Hutson.  I also read a portion from The American Bible by Stephen Prothero, this at the urging of Phil.  It is about the important documents of our American society and how they have been interpreted and referenced through the years.

I reread A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McClaren so I could discuss it with others reading it.  I also reread portions of Inspired by Rachel Held Evans just because I love her and miss her.  I loved Slow Church by Christopher Smith and John Pattison, which I may have to write a whole post about later.

My fiction selections included A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.  It's quite the quirky book, and I had some difficulty reading it because the chapters are fifty to sixty pages long.  But the longer I read the more hooked I got on the story because all along you know Owen is going to die but you don't know how it really happens until the last few pages of the book.  I read some short stories by Truman Capote which were somewhat interesting but more character studies than plots.  Willa Cather is one of my favorite authors, so I read her The Lost Lady.  It was good, but one of her early works, and not nearly as compelling as My Antonia and O Pioneers.  

I am currently reading a book by another favorite author, Barbara Kingsolver, called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  I'll reserve my comments on it until I finish it, but I'm finding it very enjoyable.

The last accounting of the summer comes from the treasures we collect.  Every summer we receive small gifts and kind notes from staff, campers and friends.  They mean so much to me.  I truly count them as treasure.  I've included the bowls that Phil made in this collection as well.

As you can see, the summer was bountiful, and I am content in the beauty of it all.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Update: Junior Week 3

Junior Week 3 is in the books and with that, the camp season comes to an end.  We had a full camp again with another large crop of brand new campers.  Along with these new campers are not only repeat campers, but also children and grandchildren of campers from long ago.  It is so great to see the relationships continue through several generations.

We had a very cold start to the week, but now it has turned hot, and that makes the lake very inviting. Most of the kids love swim time and this week we added an evening swim, which makes for some lovely pictures.

I was able to wrap up my storytelling duties for the week and all went well there.  I had a rather light week since I did not have to lead games.  I am thankful for younger staff who do this job well.

As we came to the end of the week, we were all very tired, but also very satisfied that we had had a terrific summer.  We had seen God's grace and mercy on display in how He used the likes of us, all the staff, to shine the light of the Gospel into the lives of children.  As I work there I think often of Jesus telling the disciples to "let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them."  Each one of these kids is precious to the Lord, and I think most leave knowing that they've have experienced His love from us.

Prayer requests:  I am praising God for the great summer that Phil and I were able to spend at Camp of the Woods.  Thanks to all who kept us in your prayers during this time.

My mom has radiation scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 15, in Chattanooga.  My dad will have surgery on his hip on Friday, August 16.  Keep them both in your prayers.