Monday, May 3, 2010

Safe Haven

Lutherlyn - my safe haven. It's my place to visit when I need to feel recharged.

Yesterday we packed the family up & headed to Lutherlyn for the annual Open House & Hike-a-Thon - a feat in itself! Extra diapers...check, change of clothes for everyone...check, mud play shoes...check, bottle & pump...check, etc. A simple outing has turned into an event that could potentially require a suitcase!

Our car rides would be a comic event for any outsider. We could take the easy way out & pop in a video in the DVD player, but when we inherited our van Jason & I agreed that this feature should not be used for any trip under an hour and a half. I could go off on a tangent with that but will save that for another time. So, if you were a bi-stander in our car you would observe, Jason & I pasting together sentences around interjections from Gav in the back..."I need a BIG backpack for camp" "Where's the tent?" "Are we going on an adventure?" "Can we play Dungeons & Dragons?" (cartoon, not role playing) "I'll be Bobby." Riv immediately takes off his shoes, then pretends he is an Indian & randomly shouts out "Bumble Bee!" (as he does frequently with no rhyme or reason). Weezer is playing in the background, everyone randomly bursts into song. It's chaos. But then the sacred drive up camp's driveway...radio off, silence observed, peace flows through the car.

Now the part I love...seeing & catching up with our camp family. Everyone there has been an influential part of my life at one point or another. Makes me so happy that I get to share this now with my kids & surround them with this unconditional love. Very few places I feel completely calm letting the boys run as far as I can see them & know that they are safe. I hope that Gav, Riv, & Livvy will grow up feeling like camp is a second home for them.

So, I feel recharged...I got to catch up with some of my closest friends and lounge on the dining hall porch with Livvy. Jason got to begin the planning of his annual guy's trip. Livvy got to sleep peacefully and soak up the fresh air. Gav & Riv got to be free spirits and run free for hours on end.

Now I feel ready to face the week ahead!

4 comments:

  1. You are exuding peace in this post! I'm glad it was a successful trip and not a washout. I was able to go for a run/walk today since Dave is home sick and that 1/2 hr. was my recharge for the day. If I could do that everyday I would be just a litte more patient. Want to still make plans for Sun. since we won't have our mothers around????

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  2. I thought I was the only one that turned off the car radio as soon as I hit the camp driveway. Glad you had such a nice day! Becky

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  3. I about fell out of my chair when I though you wrote that you let the kids watch a dvd on the drive. Not that you shouldn't, it just surprised me. I definitely felt happier after our time at camp, but also frustrated that it was too short and that about half of the gazillion things I wanted to chat about are still waiting :)

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  4. So glad you had a nice day on Sunday! We were bummed that we couldn't make it, but Micah still wasn't up to his usual self.

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