The result? I think all my little nuggets were challenged and all improved in their skills. But most significantly, this experience of playing an arrangement of Beethoven on a stage...how can one draw their violin bow in harmony with a group of peers and not be left in awe of the majesty of this most glorious of collaborative feats?
But the spirit of the camp was a humanistic one. Though I sat at the edge of my seat at their final performance with a swelled heart and tears of joy threatening to spill over my glassy, love-struck eyeballs, I was cognizant of distinct disappointments of the week. Tovi truly thrived. Gigi, however, seemed to have few stories to tell besides all the boys she "fell in love with". She did learn to sing songs about letting her "freak flag fly." "It's not a choice you make, it's just how you were hatched," they goad. A lifetime of teaching her that empowerment begins with taking responsibility for her actions and in a week she now also has memorized the anthem of this generation that speaks the opposite of what she has been taught at home. So subtle, and yet so effective. That was not at all the education I hoped she would gain. Dominic, disappointed in the lack of recreation and friend options would actively try to fall asleep during the daily music history lesson. The kids in his and Tovi's class taught them some 4 letter words that had not been part of their vocabulary before. I listened thoughtfully as the boys in their innocence debated whether the f-word was a real word and if it was real, what could it mean? It's part of life, I get it. But it's still sad.
The second week of our Espinosa Summer Spectacular was spent all over Broward County: snorkeling in Jupiter with Saltwater Studies (where we collected seashells for Noemie's marine biology AHG badge), or zipping down to dental appointments in Coral Springs (where Gigi swallowed a metal space retainer and put the office into a panic), or eye appointments in Davie (where Dominic joined the crew of the bespectacled Espinosas.)
We would hit up the library and the swimming pool on our off days. A morning trip to the library meant an afternoon of silence at my mom's house where every child was immersed in their books for hours. Noemie and the librarians are now on a first name basis, though she bemoans the scarcity of her favorites - books like Henry Reed Inc or Elizabeth Enright classics - the librarians said they no longer carry them because they are too old. Guess they need the shelf space for more Miley Cyrus biographies?
The last week of June was our church's assigned week at The Wilds summer camp in western North Carolina. Danny went back to Bolivia to finish his assignment there and I went to the Wilds with Nico and Noemie. It was the first "real," sleep away summer camp for my big kids! They were so excited! And being invited to come as a chaperone was a highly coveted opportunity for which I felt immensely honored. I relished the opportunity to serve with youth again and wonder how God would use this time to prepare me for the road ahead.
Also, I think I walked like 100 miles. So I ate tons of ice cream to make sure I didn’t disappear. Which is probably related to how I caught a cold by the time we were pulling into the church parking lot at the end of the week. Or maybe it was the day spent at the urgent care with one of our teens? Perhaps it was eating nutrition-less food for a week... But yes, eventually, I succumbed, even with my essential oils... I got sick. Not just any old cold but a really bad cold. I laid in bed all day for days. I lost my voice. I couldn't even go to church on Sunday which was a heartache. And, never wishing to be selfish, I shared my cold with my mother. For several days I'd been waking up at 3 am with the distinct impression that I needed medical attention. I kept waiting for someone else to sense that same alarm and take me. I got up, finally, after one of those early morning wakings, took a shower, grabbed my parent's car keys and drove to the Urgent Care. I was the first patient in when they opened the doors and had my antibiotics in hand an hour later to treat my confirmed respiratory infection. Within two days, I was starting to feel alive again. Meanwhile, Danny was in Bolivia with food poisoning.
God must be up to something with Satan hammering us so hard. With all of us sick at the house, all mom's guests cancelled for her 4th of July luncheon so we celebrated the holiday with excellent burgers and all the corn on the cob we could handle. After all, we had the feast to ourselves.
Kids at this camp were more humble than at the other camps, and more cheerful as well, the counselors more attentive. I meanwhile, took a lot of naps. Danny surprised us on the second to last day by arriving before dismissal and leaving my heart in my throat with the sudden surprise. No more Bolivia for him!
Kelly, who owns the farm, took her job as teacher very seriously and I was very grateful to her for it. All my kids love to read James Herriot. I don't wonder they have a newfound appreciation for the stories.
The remaining weeks of our summer in the U.S. were spent in sweet family gatherings. My family congregated at our house in North Carolina to pressure clean concrete, repair wood rot on the garage doors, hold a hula hoop contest, build furniture, and clean the oven.
I met my newest niece (she's a heart breaker!)
Our family also joined us as we explored Jordan Lake, walked the NC Zoo, played an unreal amount of board games, and roasted marshmallows.
We also received friends that lived nearby- catching up on overdue hugs and conversations, and helping us test our zip line and wear down our tree swing rope.
We'll be in North Carolina for a few more weeks working on our farmhouse. In August we fly off to our biggest adventure yet. We are trying to squeeze every last bit of American summer goodness out of our days before we go. There is so much to look forward to!
No comments:
Post a Comment