July is a busy month and the main reason is four letters: C.A.M.P.
Philip directs our church's Junior Camp (8-14 year olds). He preps all month for the lessons, games, etc. And he recruits other churches to go with us, bring their kids, and bring helpers. This year has been particularly stressful, even though we've done this since 2003. (There's also non-camp related stress for both of us but we can talk about that some other time.)
What do I do? I pray a lot. And then I show up at camp and mother all the third to eighth graders that come. It doesn't require a lot of prep on my part. (I do pack a huge first aid kit. Did you know Tums are a great cure for "my stomach hurts" - aka: general homesickness?)
OK, I also have to get my younger kids ready for whatever they're doing while we're at camp. Sometimes that means bringing them to camp with us and sometimes it means they go to their other grandparents.
And then there's the packing...
So, while the last few loads of laundry (ha!) are finishing up, I think I have just enough time to share some links with you.
- This article is difficult to read and yes, Trigger Warning and all that. Some of us may not be able to read this due to familiarity with the situations described. But this story needs to be read and mourned and prayed over: An Epidemic Of Disbelief: What New Research Reveals About Sexual Predators, And Why Police Fail to Catch Them by Barbara Bradley Hagerty in The Atlantic.
- There were a lot of fascinating stories commemorating the Apollo 11 moon landing. Here's one that really caught my attention: The Seamstresses Who Helped Put a Man on the Moon.
- I shared this one on Facebook but it's important to spread the word about it since the problem is so widespread: Amazon Sold $240K of Liturgy of the Ordinary Fakes. Story from CT.
- Order Your Loves: Keeping Classical "Christian" Education Christian by Matthew Prechter at CiRCE.
- So much to think about here: Building a Culture of Religious Freedom by Charles Chaput at Public Discourse.
- The Simple Solution to Homeschool Instagram Envy and Internet Overwhelm by Kara Fleck at Simple Homeschool. Simple maybe, but not necessarily easy. It's still advice we all need, homeschoolers or not.
- Somewhat related to the above: Apple Cofounder Says Most People Should Get Off Facebook Permanently from Gizmodo.
- Alone: The Decline of Family has Unleashed an Epidemic of Loneliness by Kay Hymowitz at City Journal.
- Interesting study: The Reason Anxious People Often Have Allergies by Olga Khazan for The Atlantic.
- Buyer Beware: When Religion, Politics, Health Care and Money Collide by Jenny Deam in The Houston Chronicle.
- There's another real estate bubble brewing (is that a mixed metaphor?): A Growing Problem in Real Estate: Too Many Big Houses by Candace Taylor in The Wall Street Journal. (If you can't read behind the paywall try here.)
- I'm not exactly sure why, but I found this discussion enjoyable: Moving with Kids (To New York City)!
- Made me laugh (a little) and sigh (a little): The Christian CBD Changes Its Name. I will also say that when I told Philip about this story I had to explain it to him.
- Good husbands (like mine) are an amazing gift and I found this article very sweet: What It's Like When Your Wife is 'Christian Famous' by Maria Baer at CT.
- It feels a bit self-serving to share this but I'm going to anyway: Here's The Best Way You Can Help a Small Church Pastor Today by Karl Vaters. Obviously, there are more things that could be done but this is a start.
- Parts of this are very familiar to me, and others are not. But it was a poignant read: Sixteen and Evangelical by Laura Turner.
- Did you know? New England is Crisscrossed with Thousands of Miles of Stone Walls from Atlas Obscura.
From Living Unabridged Archives
Four years ago: Nine Lessons Learned at Camp 2015