We saw a nice card today: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.”

Today, this saying had extra meaning for us at camp - especially for the Maxis (the 7th and 8th grade girls).

Last night was their overnight.  They went into our back property, cooked their dinner, shared stories, played some games and went to bed.  They got to bed at a reasonable time - should be wonderfully rested the next day.

At least, that was the plan.

Before every overnight, we have a long series of preparations.  Of course, these include getting the food and bedding to the site, delivering meds to the campers and checking the weather to assure a good night.

Last night, we saw a 10% chance of rain on one site and 20% on another.  We have learned that a 10-20% chance of rain for Marble Falls is more like a 5-10% chance for us.  A nearby granite dome breaks up weather systems as they near us.  So we deemed that the overnight would go forward.

At 3:15, Zoe Alterman (the Maxi Division Leader) woke.  She said that she was sleeping lightly because she wanted to listen to see if any girls needed her in the night. As a result, the very distant thunder (30+ miles off) woke her.  Taking out her phone, she saw a possible storm coming.

See woke the girls, got them up, and walked back.

They arrived at their cabins around 3:40 - just as the skies opened and the rain fell in buckets.

My favorite part of the story is the way that she framed it for the gals - this was not a burden or a ruined trip.  Nope.  This was an adventure.  She told the girls that she was proud to lead a group that was so confident and resilient.  Today, every Maxi I talked to told me the story in a way that brimmed with excitement and pride.

Do not get me wrong, they are a bit tired today, but they feel stronger and more capable.  Sounds like a good trade to me!

Steve Sir