shouts of joy

This week I have almost a full week off from camp. Today was my first full day off and after I got home from doctors appointments and other errands Summer break started like this ...  Fresh picked strawberries from the garden and fresh rhubarb too Strawberry rhubarb pie, yummmmm

Falling backwards on the air chair. Photo: Caressa Rogers There are a lot of stairs at camp. I have to walk up 6 flights of stairs to get from my office to my bedroom.  I like running up the stairs because it makes my body feel strong. Sometimes, I skip a step while I run and my legs burn and I feel healthy, stable and confident. After 6 weeks of running stairs my legs have felt unstoppable. But today I slipped on the stairs, and now I'm not feeling so hot about the idea of running stairs anymore. It was embarrassing. I feel like I'm back to where I started... step 1.

A huge part of me really wants to put up a new post just to reach the 200 posts marker. But also I'm really enjoying this week at camp. It's taken 6 weeks for me to take the first step to contentment. Right now I'm sitting at my office table looking out the huge tinted window that overlooks the volleyball court beach with the dock extending out over the glassy lake. Dang! It looks so inviting right now! What am I doing? That's right, sitting in my office checking it out. This week I'm teaching swimming lessons to a small 5 year old girl. She's daring, super energetic, friendly, and happy. Oh boy, we have a fun time together. I want to be more daring like her. We're diving for dive sticks today! That's daring!

How do you know the difference between the need for contentment or the need to satisfy a desire?  Boat rides, wahoo! Being on the lake, SO GOOD! So fun making new friends! I sure miss this house and these girls, A LOT! Don't miss studying, but I miss this group.

24 hours felt like 24 days, or weeks Dirt and slime build up reeks Times course has made this body fragile and shake Words or lack thereof they spake It's enough to tip the bucket And I tell myself to suck it Up, but I don't want anything to do with this I'm tired of having to depend on His Strength, His love and His grace Why didn't He set things right in the first place? Don't force me to pray Or tell me what to say. Hide and seek is the name I'm tired of playing this game. Where you hide and I seek I give up, I'm too weak. The truth is so freeing but so unappealing. Photo taken by Caressa Rogers