The BIG FIVE OH

I, um, somehow, er, forgot to mention that, while I was at camp, I had an...um...birthday.
Sigh.
50. For some reason this one really got to me. I have been dreading it all year. It's a shock, and I mean that, to think about. How did this happen? Am I really 50???
It's a year of getting healthy for me - physically, spiritually, mentally. Working on some things, and so far so good.
I turned 50 at camp (see post below). I actually thought if I didn't tell anyone, the day would just slip on by. RIGHT. With a daughter on staff, my son with me, and my wife working behind the scenes, EVERYONE at camp knew. They actually were pretty light on me. Got food crammed down my throat as part of a game / song at lunch - with my 3 children doing the cramming! My wife and middle child drove up for the day and surprised me. It turned into the perfect way to spend a birthday. And I am slowly getting used to the idea.

On another note, I know I don't post regularly, and have decided to do something about that. But, I wonder if by my inconsistency no one is reading any more. That's cool, and if so I will let the blog die. But if you are out there, can you post a comment and let me know?

Thanks - hope to hear from ya!

This made me cry

The tears really have been infrequent these last almost-three years. I wrote on here about the 2nd anniversary of Katrina and that connecting piece with my seminary classmate, Larry Motz, who died Palm Sunday 2006, and the crying jag that caused.
Today while perusing the web, I was reading the blog of the Executive Director of the Beatitudes Society, the Reverend Anne Howard. Read more about this wonderful group at their website. The first of June Anne led a second group of seminarians who are part of the society for another week of hard work at Camp Coast Care. My wife and I, as we did last year, spent an evening with them telling the stories, answering questions. On Anne's blog recently she reflected on their experience and included comments from some of the seminarians. I was so moved by what they had to say, and I really appreciate the "fresh eyes" they used to report their experiences.
Then one of them went and said THIS:

"Another story that struck me was that of Rev. David Knight. As the rector of the local Episcopal Church, David was saddened by the destruction of St. Patrick’s, but he was one of the lucky ones whose home was left relatively unharmed. From the base of security that he and his wife were able to maintain, which included continuing support from the church, they were among the few who were in a position to act as caregivers. Three years after the storm, the wells from which they had been gathering the necessary strength to provide care seemed to be drying up, and it was obvious that he and his wife desperately needed spiritual and personal renewal if they were to continue as caregivers. I was impressed by the care that he and his wife had been providing but saddened by the sight of their clearly ebbing strength."

Is that the impression I give people - ebbing strength? Or is it just the truth? I wept as I read it, so there must have been some truth in it. I FELT what he wrote as I read it. How weird is that?
So the BIG question - how do we recharge, replenish, refuel - for as you can tell from all their reports and many others, there is MUCH more to be done.

HEY EVERYBODY!

Just got back from a week of summer camp at good ole Camp Bratton-Green. It was a 5th and 6th grade session and I had a blast. My eldest child is part of Permanent Staff this summer and next, working the ropes course. It's a high honor and she was selected with two others out of a pool of 50 something. They also help with all the programming, skits, worship, "Big" games, etc. It's a whirlwind of very hard work and she LOVES it. She has dreamed of this gig her whole life, at least since her 1st time at camp as a 3rd grader. I am a proud pappa.

I will take over this session as Director next year, replacing the legendary Tom Slawson (also a Seabury grad), who has directed this particular session for 18 years! Way to go, Tom - truly a great camp director, moving on to other things and leaving huge shoes to fill.

Camp in our diocese is a HUGE deal and I am honored to be part of it, both as a newbie director and as a member of the Board of Managers for our Camp and Conference center. It's truly the heartbeat of the Diocese of Mississippi.

Hey Everybody is what you shout when you want everyone's attention at camp, and I used it to start my sermon last Sunday - camp stays with me for a while, for sure.

I know I have not written in forever but I plan to become a regular blog poster once again. St. Patrick's is mere weeks from breaking ground on our new building and I will post updates here. I am also very interested in traveling ANYWHERE to do fund raising to finish the gap in financing this building. Almost 3 years since Katrina destroyed all our facilities and we are most ready to be in our new space. 

Lastly, for now, I am a MAC user now! I spent 20-something years in mainframe and then PC and Networking, primarily in the banking world. I've been a DOS then Windows user all that time. But for my 50th (YES 50th!!) birthday, which I celebrated at camp by having TONS of food dumped on me at lunch, my family gave me a Best Buy gift card that went a long way to the purchase of my new Macbook Pro! Wow. My old laptop was dying a slow death, and I bit the bullet big time. I am learning as I go, so far I love it.

More to come, if ANYONE is out there still....