Camp Shehaqua: Day 1-2

How beautiful to be out in nature and to be with so many wonderful people! Since I'm here with young children, I find myself with even more free time than normal. As many people as there are, in the afternoons everyone is spread out over the camp with different activities. It leaves the main areas relatively quiet. In a way it would be nice to participate in some of the activities, but I've found ways to pass the time.

While the boys were playing in the sand box I found a nice level spot of grass to do some yoga. I love doing yoga outside, sans mat, there is something so freeing and energizing about it. Even though by the end the boys were trying to climb on my back during down-dog to get a horsie ride, it was nice while it lasted!

The Dinner Line

Meal times are always a bit chaotic with the crowds. I usually try to jump in line first or take a few things from the salad bar so that the kids can eat right away. At dinner, I got the kids all set up with my husband and then decided to go back in line to get food for him and I. I made my way to the back of the line, and even though several people offered to let me go ahead of them, I decided to wait it out. Actually, at this point waiting in line felt like a luxury. No squirmy baby in my arms or three year old darting in and out of the line. I felt completely content to move slowly and make conversation with the people standing next to me. It's really all about how we look at things. How many times have I gotten annoyed about waiting in line? In lines much smaller than this! But here, waiting in line feels like freedom, peace, like walking a labyrinth. It really makes it apparent that we have the ability to choose how we react to the circumstances we are given, and not let the circumstances themselves dictate our emotions. I will try to harness that feeling the next time I find my patience growing thin with a slow clerk at the grocery store!

I don't have hours or even minutes some days to sit in lotus and chant, but waiting in that dinner line was like a meditation; just being able to slow down, focus on the present moment, and be free for awhile from all the fast, frenetic, little boy energy. If we are present, anything we do can be a meditation. Anything we do can be a prayer. Sometimes it will be the most unexpected moment, the simplest thing, like standing in line for dinner, that creates the space for us to receive peace. The tiny moments are meaningful, every moment can be special.

God is talking to us all the time in these little moments. There is a story from right here at Camp Shehaqua where someone gave a testimony about how they found God in a bug. Maybe that fly that is buzzing around your head is really God trying to get your attention. God isn't always a big booming voice, more often than not, he shows up in the little things, and is easy to find if we just take the time to notice.