Month: July 2015

  • On Suffering and The Three Crowns

    I have had so much fun this summer. But this week, I have been particularly struck by the heartache we all experience in life.  No one escapes.  One camper has severe ADHD, another suffers from debilitating anxiety, another is deeply grieving the loss of a friend who died in an accident recently, another has a…

  • On Family

    I love family camp. All shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities thrown into a melting pot. The love – or sometimes rediscovered love – parents have for their kids come out in surprising ways. And vice versa. By the end, we become like one, big, family. It no longer surprises me, but it still makes me…

  • On Sportsmanship

    One of our tournament camp players this week played a magnificent point during a match, until the end, when he chunked an easy shot into the net. In his frustration and anger and disappointment, he bounced his racket off the court gritted his teeth and yelled. We talked quietly on the sideline about possible alternatives…

  • On Rest

    24/7. Many of us are so proud to say that’s how many hours we work in a week. “Being busy” is valued above all else. And yet, being busy can be the most counterproductive thing we do, if it is not accompanied by rest. I remember when I was in high school I was proud…

  • On Feeling Safe

    None of us will come out of our shells if we think someone will hurt us. Or make fun of us. Or demean us. We will grow up becoming more and more protective and wary. It is a natural reaction to say “I’m not letting you in” if we have had people break our trust…