You might be wondering why a post is being made at near 5am. Why am I up so early? The fact is, I haven't been to sleep yet. I started feeling a bit ill Sunday afternoon, I struggled through my work shift, got home around 10:30pm, took some meds for my stomach, and slept until around 2pm. Thus, my sleep schedule is totally screwed up, and I might need some melatonin tonight to get me back on track. Today is my last day of summer break. I guess that's another reason for my insomnia. I've been turning over in my mind the great experiences I've had this summer.
First of all, I was able to work again at the local Boys & Girls Club with a fun group of upcoming 3rd graders. Yes, we had some challenging kids and some rough days, but that kind of comes with the territory when you're working with the kiddos. In those instances, we love them through it, and offer the kids some strategies in how to deal with these ever-changing emotions that come with growing up. We played games, did fun science experiments, made art projects, and went on field trips. It was a fun summer. My work shift was 12:00-5:30, so it gave my body a chance to sleep in, and have some time in the evening to run errands and get stuff done. Our summer program ended on July 23rd, so I've been off, and on "staycation" since then. I miss the kiddos, especially the ones who only come during the summertime, as I won't see them again until next June.
I had the fun opportunity to be a camp counselor this summer. I took a week off from the club and took some kiddos to a Bible Camp near the state line. These kiddos attend another local church, and the boys needed a male sponsor to accompany them during the week. My name came up, the camp decision-makers asked me, and I jumped on it. I believe strongly in the camp ministry. When you get these kids away from the city and busyness of daily life, they are better able to hear the voice of God. Many kids make life-changing decisions as camp, myself included. I still remember my fun days of attending Bible camp, and have served as a camp counselor for a number of camps over the past 30 years. Anyway, the boys and I knew each other, they are great kids, and we had a fun week. It rained every day, but through the raindrops we were able to have a great deal of fun. I'm hoping that they'll ask me again next year to attend camp.
After a year's absence due to Covid closings, our church was able to bring back VBS. I like to call it VBF, Vacation Bible FUN. I had the opportunity to portray Moses, complete with long gray beard and robes. Every day was a re-enactment of a certain scenario that the Israelites encountered during their wanderings in the wilderness. In our VBS, the kids don't just hear the Bible story, we live it! We get involved. We re-enact (to the best of our ability) the Bible adventures, and the kids remember it. That's the goal. Every adventure had a Bible application the kids can use in their everyday lives. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. However, seeing the kids get involved, laugh, and learn God's Word makes it all worth it. I'm already excited about next summer's VBS.
Now, it comes to an end. On Wednesday, we begin a week of inservice, meetings, and room set-up. Then, next Tuesday, it all begins. Ready or not, here they come! We'll welcome the kids back to another great school year. This will be my 20th year in the school district. After school, I'll kick off my 9th year working with the BGC. Tuesday will be a very busy, possibly chaotic day, we'll sleep well that night, but it will be so good to see the kids again.
Am I ready to go back to school? Yes. Do I want summer to end? No. I can't have it both ways, can I? But time marches on. I will carry those summer memories with me for a very long time. What sweet days they were. Looking forward, we are a few short weeks away from the FAIR! That's a whole different ballgame.
Thanks for hanging in with me while I walked down memory lane. Blogging has really helped me process how I'm feeling. What are your summer memories? I just hope they are as sweet as mine are. Have a great day. Thanks for reading, and God bless you!
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