grandparent's lament

Well, cousin's camp has come and gone...and I am tired and relieved...and missing them already!

It was truly a great week as we battled the elements--some tricky weather--and a family tragedy (just prior to our leaving). Stillw e were confident God wanted us to go!

So, loaded down with our luggage (above and behind us), squeezed into a nine passenger Yukon (thanks to son, Tim) and with valuable cargo--Sage, Kyle, Eden, JJ, Zeke, Julianne, and Nate-- we headed off for Lake Tahoe.

The trip there was punctuated with stops for windy road induced-nausea, nature's relief, and stretching legs. Pizza was the evening meal fare and orientation.

Monday-Thursday were full days with breakfast, morning walk with grandpa (while grandma had quiet time), Bible lesson and singing (remember the camp song?), memory verses, crafts, lunch, afternoon activity--we explored Fallen Leaf Lake and swam in the icy waters of Sand Harbor--and evening meal, videos, games--even a Talennt Show. "Lights out" was at 9 (when they actualy went to sleep remains a mystery) and there were sounds of life every morning as early as 5 a.m.

We also had a camp store and they used tickets which they earned through cleaning their area, helping one another, memorizing scripture, behaving well, serving willingly, etc. Grandma and I spent several months selecting gifts that would motivate their participation (does it sound like bribery...or extrinsic motivation?)

We headed home Firday morning singing the camp song, reflecting on special memories and remembering some of the lessons we had learned.

Our house looked oawfully good when we headed up Cakifornia Drive but within a few hours it was mostly quiet. We took an afternoon nap.

When we awakened, it was even more quiet.

And today, we miss them even more.

That's a grandparent's lament!