Sunday Reflection and Illahee Afternoon
July 9, 2017 by Don Gentle
I woke up to a wonderful cool mountain morning. It was a delightful 59 degrees here on the mountain! I enjoyed the cool walk up the hill for my usual morning visit with the awesome kitchen crew we have. After grabbing a nice warm cup of coffee, I chatted with Nate and his sister, Camille, as I watched them roll out the scratch-made cinnamon roles we were about to have for breakfast. It was a beautiful sight!
The wake-up bell rang brining camp into action. It is always fun to watch these boys back up their laundry and attempt to get it up to the dinign hall in the morning. Another great opportunity for these boys to learn some more self-reliance.
Our morning lakeside service was presented by a long-time camper and staff member, Elliot Opel. He gave a great lesson on “Attitude” for the boys. He explained how attitude is contagious; how it affects everything we do. So whether it is a good attitude or a bad attitude, you are still going to spread it. He also shared a great quote by Charles Swindoll:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.
Elliot ended with: “Attitude… Is yours worth catching?” It was a great start to our wonderful morning…
It was a perfect morning to relax, play some games with friends, or even just read a book in the sun. I enjoyed my time as I walked around camp to see all of the wonderful action. The sky was blue, with a nice mountain breeze, and the guys were just enjoying their time.
After the rest hour bell, the Illahee Game Day began! A fun filled day of co-ed games divided by age groups. It sure was a blast! The girls from Camp Illahee were wonderful guests as well. The Camp Illahee staff and campers were wonderful. They really do have a great program over there. As I mentioned last night, my girls have been there for several years, so it was a little strange to see them in the middle of the camp session. I tried to let my girls have their time, but they still took a few moments here and there to introduce me to their friends and cabin mates.
After games, we all enjoyed a cookout on the lawn complete with burgers, hot dogs, and all the sides. Our friends from Illahee then broke out the Klondike Bars for dessert!!! It could not have been a more perfect afternoon!
We waved goodbye to the girls after dinner and headed up to the campfire. Dan Noland told us
It sure was a busy day! We are looking forward to another full and thrilling week ahead. I can’t believe our Mini boys only have five days left to go! Have a great week! We are certainly ready for ours!
Don