July marches on

Today I'm enjoying another quiet day in which I have not had a conversation with another person except a cashier. I love it!

This morning I dropped Allison off at her day camp and then Jonathan at his. Then I went to Value Village (second trip in a week -- when do you call something an addiction?) and picked up some T-shirts for Allison. (She is growing like crazy this summer. Everything is getting too short for her, especially shirts!) Then I bought gas and groceries. I came home, put away the groceries, threw in a load of laundry (despite the ominous gray sky), and made myself some coffee. Then I checked email and finished marking the assignments on my desk. I love days like this! With both kids' camps running from 9am-4pm, I have more time even than I did when school was in, since Jonathan came home for lunch every day.

The camps are going great for the kids. Allison is attending Quintilian Camp for the second week in a row and having a good time. A girl she met at Friendship Skills Day Camp two years ago is attending the same camp this summer, so they are hanging out together. Also this week a former classmate of Allison's, a boy she got along very well with but who transferred to another school 2 years ago, is attending. So it's neat to see her reconnecting with people.

Jonathan is enjoying his days as well. This is his third week at Extend-a-Family camp; he'll have next week off and then go one more week at the end of July. He has gone to the swimming pool and the beach, to the Buskers Festival, on a canoe trip ... lots of new adventures. He is happiest when his days are full and interesting -- and take it from me: when Jonathan's happy, everyone's happy!

As for me, this summer I've had the experience of leading a worship team at our church. I did lots of this in the past, but not at Bethel; they have lots of excellent musicians and leaders and I was happy just to participate in a team without taking on any leadership. But this summer, with one leader sick and another having just had a baby, I was asked to lead a couple of times. This mainly involves selecting songs, assembling a team of musicians/singers, working with the pastor to put the service together, and of course leading the congregation in singing during the actual worship service. This is something I really enjoy and feel gifted in, so it was a great experience to lead once in June and once in July. I have to say, it is wonderful to be part of a church where people really do work as a team and there are no ego trips or protecting of turf.