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!
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