Monday, July 20, 2009

The Letdown

Oldest Daughter is home from camp.



For 6 days straight she made new friends, screamed herself hoarse with camp cheers, laughed at hilarious skits, slid down giant lake slides, climbed rock walls, whispered in the dark after lights out, got up early, and went to bed late. Six exciting, exhilarating, adrenalin-pumping days.


And now she is home and life is just slightly dull. The summer stretches out before her . . . very drab and brown after the technicolor week she just had. She e-mails her new friends, downloads new praise and worship learned at camp, wears new camp shirts . . . but it's not the same. Unbelievably, she still has to empty the dishwasher, do poop pickup, babysit her little sister, clean her bathroom. Ahhh, the injustice.

Tonight she looked at me with doleful eyes. "Mom," she said, "I think I'm having post-partum depression from leaving camp."

Oh, Honey, I understand. Man, do I understand! And we cuddled a little longer at bedtime, as she learns that life ebbs and flows, thrills and bores, always changes, never stands still. And under it all is the hand of our God who always stays the same and is, Himself, the giver of all good gifts.

6 comments:

  1. Gosh, don't we ALL know the letdown after a big event. If only we could live on the mountaintops.

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  2. Bless her heart. What a sweetie. I know coming back to the real world is tough. Especially when the previous week has been super packed/super spiritual/super fun. etc.
    But the real world is where she gets to apply all the things she knows and learned in the last week. So glad she got to have the time away and had a great time.

    Joy

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  3. Sweet Girl! That is so mature of her to realize why she is feeling kind of sad and to actually be able to communicate and confess it to you and kudos to you for understanding - Good Job Ma!

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  4. Shelley,
    I cannot tell you how happy I am to have discovered your blog. Your writing is heartwarming....I feel like I'm picking up a favorite book and diving in.

    Hope you'll be around for a long time in blogland!
    xo
    Sue

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  5. The let down is so hard sometimes... Oh man. I bet you are goad to have her home though...

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  6. Oh how gorgeous. I remember that feeling so well. She sounds so amazing and in touch with her feelings. Well done.

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