Serving Those Who Served Us

Lil – Mother – Camper 9 years old  

(Father, Air National Guard, Disabled)      

Thank you Camp Corral! Our daughter attended the Nova-4H Camp Corral last week. She really struggled with anxiety last year at school due to her dad’s injuries, and being with other kids who understand exactly how she feels without having to talk about it was HUGE for her! She’s already looking forward to next year!

I am a very big fan of summer camp for kids, especially kids that usually have no means to travel away from home, or children that are ill or have  other  difficult circumstances in their lives.

Camp Corral is a 501c(3) organization founded by the Golden Corral restaurant chain as an extension of their long history of support to veterans and their families.  In 2011 they launched their first camp to offer children of veterans and a life-changing week away.  It is a free summer camp for children of service members, with emphasis on children of parents that are wounded, injured, disabled or fallen military veterans. These camps are possible due to the restaurant corporation and to the generosity of donors that contribute to fund raising activities sponsored by the restaurants during April and May.

There are 21 locations across the U.S. holding camp sessions during summer 2016.  Camp offers opportunities for children to do things many have never done before.  Communing with nature and making new friends is only a part of it.  Military kids have the opportunity to share with and build relationships with other kids experiencing the same type of stress at home.

At Camp Corral children can participate in a wide variety of activities such as archery, fishing, ropes courses, swimming and horse back riding.  

The camp headquarters are in Raleigh, NC, but the activities are held at host camps owned by other organizations, such as the YMCA as well as church-based facilities.  Each camp site is accredited by the American Camp Association and has been selected to provide campers with a caring, nurturing and safe environment.  Staff is highly trained at each individual site.  

Volunteers and financial donations to the camps are very welcome.  The Camp Corral website has great information about their organization and how to choose a good camp for children.   www.campcorral.org

We're all a bunch of whiners.

"Let us not grow weary in doing good"  

  Galatians 6:9

A few of you that read this regularly might notice I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  
I just haven't felt like it. 
I usually get a strong nudge in the direction I'm supposed to write .  Not this time.

Today I was thinking about why I haven't been writing.  I've had a lot going on.  I'm busy and distracted.  A weekend trip to stay with our godsons.  I broke my toe while I was there.  Our newly adopted Dachsund sisters need a lot of daily attention and I am still adjusting to that.  Then I messed up my knee and had to add chiropractic and massage to help me not hobble quite so much.  Several friends have lost family members which added to my already lengthy prayer list.  Close family members are having some struggles that need our attention.  My husband and I are trying to find a house to renovate and we have a major yard renovation project pending.  Church and social events.  Errands to run. This morning at 7:45 we had to rush one of the Dachsunds to the ER because she was having a seizure.  And on and on and on.  Blah blah blah. Bottom Line:
** That's my privileged life.**

I'm a whiner.

Sound like your life?  Are you like me and have absolutely no reason to complain?  I have a loving family, a marriage others aspire to, a beautiful home and expensive car, an embarrassingly full closet, and plenty to eat and water to drink every day.  If you're reading this you probably not only have enough to eat but a pantry and refrigerator full of stuff that you've already forgotten you bought.

Since this is Lent the focus at church has been being more like Jesus.  The topic yesterday was on compassion.  It was a great reminder that there is always, always someone with a worse story than yours.  You have the power to rewrite their stories in your head into something positive, which could change your thoughts from anger to compassion.

That person that scowled at you this morning?  Rewrite your story about them.  Instead of taking it personally and yelling at them, you could say "She might be worried about her teenager that didn't come home last night."  The funniest suggestion made was rewriting the story of the person on the freeway that screams past you, swerving in and out of traffic putting everyone in danger.  Instead of cussing and screaming, rewrite the story that he must really have a bad case of diarrhea and need to get home to the bathroom.

I realized that what I am supposed to share is the wake up call that I had.  We have so much to give.  Even if you have very little money to share, you do have your compassion.  As you've heard many times, we are the richest nation on the planet.  And even if you don't have much by comparison to your neighbor across town, you have infinitely more than those that are homeless, the children that only eat what is provided at school Monday through Friday, or those that live in the poorest countries of the world that are slowly dying of malnutrition.

Show compassion and love in whatever way you can. 

 That will go a long way toward making the world better, stronger.

Don't be a whiner.