...across the room for cabin number seven.....

This morning I did something I've never done before. I dropped one of my grandchildren off at camp. I couldn't believe how hard it was to leave him in this cabin, walk to my car and start my 4 1/2 hour drive back home!

He seemed a tad nervous so I decided to make it a two day outing. I picked him up at home for the drive to the big city to find a nice hotel where we could spend the evening and night. He chose the hotel (with my approval) and seemed quite pleased with his choice. The food was "the best" "awesome" and "very tasty" and his queen bed was "the best bed ever"! While I checked into the hotel he made conversation with the desk clerk who seemed quite taken with him. After checking our room I escorted him to the hotel restaurant which included a slight detour to the hotel gift store which he decided was an "antique store". I'm not quite sure why. Before entering the restaurant proper he read the menu posted in the entry and then discussed it with the host. Together they decided he would not leave hungry; the clincher being that ice-cream would be included with his meal! After cleaning our plates it was obvious the pool was beckoning and he had little patience to wait for our check. I had to make it clear we could not leave without paying for our meal and then made the mistake of glancing out the window by which time he had left the table in search of our waitress with said check!

An hour in the pool with two new friends prepared him for a good night's rest. Good enough to sleep until the alarm woke both of us at the same time! This is unusual for this early bird!

I can find my way around the big city but I never get anywhere fast due to the fact that I lose all sense of direction and simply always feel the necessity to turn right. Right always seems right to me! Lucky for me this 9 yr. old is fluent in map and helped me find my way out of the city including a stop at the Golden Arches where he ordered a "sausage and bacon McMuffin" (something they don't have a key for on their till! LOL!) I guess he's the first to order one! It was, of course, the "Best Ever Breakfast!"

We arrived at the camp in record time, thanks to my little navigator! Registration was a breeze and meeting his camp counsellor was a very pleasant surprise. Since this was his first time at camp I had hoped that he would get a great counsellor. Someone he would mesh with. I liked him immediately and I could tell he did too. In fact he walked us to cabin number seven where wonder of wonders the top bunks were not spoken for yet! We got my little man all settled in and introduced to another first time camper. I could see he was settling in for the duration, got my hug, and said my good-byes. After a short walk back towards my car I decided to go back to the cabin and take just one tiny little picture for my little "grandchild picture collection". I couldn't help but smile as I walked in to find him as well as his new buddy sitting on their bunks writing in their notebooks! I got my picture for my collection and left. Again!

On my drive home I kept remembering his cabin with the closed door and I wondered what this experience will be like for him. I also thought how trusting it is of his parents, his Papa and I to leave him with total strangers like this. The family that usually protects him, cares for him and watches over him are hours away from him. Then I thought of the people in charge of the camp and all these little campers! What a tremendous responsibility they take on every year as they welcome these kids into their care. It didn't take long for me to start praying for everyone there. Not just my grandson, but the other campers, and everyone involved in providing this experience for these kids. Some are obviously college students who could be making a lot more money elsewhere. I admire them for basically donating their time during the summer months so that kids can have a place like this to come to. Working at a camp is not something I would enjoy but I can participate by remembering to pray and committing all to God's care! I am also in a position to send kids to camp which is what we did for our grandson this year. What a great way to be involved in this fantastic ministry!