Preparing for Camp

I am knee deep in packing my girl for her first sleep-away camp. With only three more days until her departure, I have ironed labels into every fabric article and taken a sharpie to everything else. We've folded, rolled, ziplocked and smashed as much as her purple footlocker can hold. Yet, I am reminded daily of other things I need to add to her supplies--or insure she knows how to handle.

It occurred to me today as I was making another WalMart run that this experience is quite a metaphor for parenting. We plan. We discuss. We try to learn from the experiences of those who have gone before us. We compare notes with other parents. We read the suggestions/guidelines. We make/modify/check lists. Yet, no matter how much we plan (ahem, worry) we simply cannot anticipate every need or scenario. At some point we have to exhale and send them off--trusting that God has much more in store for our offspring than what we alone can provide.

I will never forget a comment my friend L. made last year when her daughter returned from her first camp: "It was incredible. She came back having gotten something I didn't even know she needed." Beautifully humbling.

This, of course, is the reason for sending...a tiny release that allows little developing wings to practice. A trust exercise for Mama & Daddy, reminding us that she is His first. This is only the beginning of many adventures she will likely have without us present.

She is ecstatic. After packing for two straight hours Monday she skipped through the house singing, "I feel confident!" I think she is far more ready than I am.

Our curly girl won't be here to tuck in for six nights. We will certainly miss her terribly, but are thrilled for her adventure and cannot wait to hear her stories and to see what God has in store!