President's Day might be one of my favorite holidays. Don't you just love having an extra day to sleep in? That's all I really wanted to do today--sleep in, watch TV and enjoy the act of doing nothing. But I had this nagging feeling that I couldn't just let this whole today of opportunity slip by. If I want to be a person who shows up and invests in people then I've got to do that even when I don't really feel like it.
So this morning I got in my car and drove to Bloomington so I could see a couple of my favorite people. I picked up Allison, one of my old Young Life girls, from the sidewalk infront of Theta and we drove to Starbucks. It was crowded with an eclectic mix of people (just like all good coffee shops should be) but we pulled around two chairs and made our own little nook to sit and talk.
One thing Allison and I have in common is that we crave and thrive on good conversation. Do you know how Lorelai and Rory go back and forth so fast on Gilmore Girls? Sometimes I feel like that's us. We both talk a mile a minute and then switch to be the listener. Allison's hands are flying to emphasize her stories and my facial expressions can't hold back my reactions. We talked for an hour and half before we had to cut ourselves off because she had to get ready for class.
Back in Theta I was attacked in a hug from Molly Brunner, one of my old campers and now a fellow counselor at Tecumseh. She had just finished class and was ready to sit and catch up over lunch. Molly's side ponytail buns, habit of eating potato chips with cream cheese, complete mastery of coloring with markers, passion for everything camp stands for and eagerness to be friends with everyone are just a few of the things I love about her.
It was a fun adventure just to be back in college world and walking around their sorority house. I love getting to see everyone's room. It's their own little cinder block world to decorate a visual of their personality and a display of what they love. Allison and Molly's corners are pretty impressive. Don't they both just look so fun?
Today I made myself live out what I want to be about and it was worth it. Sometimes you've got to put in the extra effort to be the person you want to be; it's not always easy. But today was a day lived well.
I got to overlap with Allison and Molly for a little while. I got to see Ellyn for about 10 minutes before I left campus and gosh I just miss that girl. I got to see Cori Webb for a little bit and I think she is really great. The day was beautiful and it was one of those times when I actually enjoy driving for an extended period of time and listening to music. I got to talk to far away friends along the way and share a bit of my day with them.
Even though it was a National holiday we still had Campaigners tonight. Everyone was in such a good mood from the day off and I was so happy to be reunited with these girls. There is something so special about this community where we're honest with each other--failures and all.
Tonight we exercised our creativity and everyone wrote their own psalm. The book of Psalms is a collection of songs and prayers in the Bible that include ones of thanksgiving, of lament and about the character of Christ. We weren't sure how all of it would turn out but when we came back together as a whole group to sing and share our psalms I was blown away.
Sure their writing was excellent, but I was amazed by the way they described their faith, by their honesty of where they are, their expressions of hope because of how God is working in their lives. We heard from about eight different kids, but then Tom collected the rest that will hopefully be turned into our own Young Life book of Psalsms.
All this overlapping with Molly and Allison and then with Young Life friends was great, but not yet the end of my day. Annie and Mags are continually teaching me about choosing joy, loving people well and what it means to really share in someone else's happiness and sorrow. They show up on a regular basis in my life right now and I'm so thankful for that.
I love this pair and all of the camp girls that make me think of the puppies in Cold Tangerines, "I loved them because they were mine, because we were us, because of the funny and sweet and strange things they did and said. They're smart and honest and they make big mistakes and dream gorgeous bright dreams. They fall in love hard, sometimes with the right people and sometimes with the wrong people. Sometimes they tell me everything and sometimes they try to not tell me things, but then the other girls tell me anyway. I think at this point I know almost all the things they think I don't. And I love them more than they know." I'm so thankful for all the people that my life is overlapping with these days.
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