Two Shacks

Saturday afternoon I collected my kids from camp. I absolutely love that moment when I see their sunburned smiles for the very first time. It always seems as if they've grown bigger and wiser during their week away at camp. This year I had a slight timing miscalculation and I arrived late. Too late. I missed the entire closing ceremony, including my daughter's graduation. I am indebted to my friends who stayed late and helped shlep all our gear to my van, since my kids were the last to clear out of their respective cabins. I have great friends.

The past four years my kids have gone to camp with a group of buddies from our hometown. Pick up day is a frenzy of stories and laughter and songs, and I love the chaos of everyone talking at once, eager to share their favorite memory. Of course, the kids couldn't bear to part with each other, so we all traveled in a group to lunch and arrived in one big, disorganized mess. There were 714 patrons at my favorite hamburger joint, which has a total of nine tables, but that did not deter those of us determined to indulge in the best of tiny town cuisine. We eventually settled in, and even rubbed elbows with a few camp counselors who happened by. This shack serves up great food, which tastes even better when shared with friends who are equally hot and sweaty, and a crew of kids who successfully survived a week away from Mom and Dad at camp, and who are eager to share tales of fishing derbys, carnival night, cabin clean up, and water rides.

There is another shack I want to mention. I'm reading a book called The Shack by William Young this week. This book has created quite a wave in the Christian community, and I can see why. If you encountered God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, all in tangible form, what do you think they would be like? How would they look? What would they say to you? How would they explain things like church membership, marriage, raising children, and the marketplace? Most importantly, what conversations might they have about pain and suffering, and how those things impact our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with others? Young's interpretation of these things is really interesting, and challenging in more ways than one. It's a great read, and one I highly recommend.