Nov 29 2011
Around the Campfire
We had a campfire on the Saturday night of the Women’s retreat, and Robyn and I sat next to it for hours and hours. We needed a break from all the hubbub and decided to sit and stare at the fire. I am occasionally overcome with the desire to stop doing and thinking and allow myself to simply look. Staring at the ocean, a garden, a fire and letting my mind grow quiet is often needed.
While we sat there, a youth pastor walked over and asked if some kids from his youth group could come and borrow our fire. They were all asking him for a fire, but he knew their inability to stay in one place for more than a few minutes would mean he would soon be tending a fire from which they had grown quickly bored. Robyn and I gladly welcomed them and offered them some marshmallows to toast for smores. The initial group (consisting mostly of girls) declined. I offered marshmallows to all who came and they continued to refuse until up trotted this tall kid who reminded me of my brother Mike when he was in high school. Mike would often stand in front of the fridge drinking a 1/2 gallon of milk straight from the glass milk bottle that the milkman had recently delivered. As soon as I saw the kid, I knew he wouldn’t refuse free food. He quickly tucked into the marshmallows and convinced some others to join in as well. They were a quiet bunch talking, texting, and joking, and the guys only did an occasional obnoxious derring-do in an attempt to gain the girls attention.
A few weeks later, the campfire in our backyard was nowhere near as quiet. Josiah determined to celebrate his 17th birthday with yet another rousing campfire and sleepover. When Josiah left for school on the morning of the party, he had five friends who told him they would attend. Everyone else was noncommittal. When he returned from school that same day, the count had doubled. For Abby’s parties, I always know who is going to be there and who is going to be absent well in advance. At most, she has two friends she is not sure of. For Josiah’s parties, I plan for them all to come, expect hardly any, and then they all show up en masse.
Dale started the campfire before they all arrived and had it burning to his level of perfection. Unfortunately, he came inside to escape the noise and Josiah’s friends shifted the logs the wrong way and piled things on that should have been left off. Within minutes of Dale’s departure, the campfire became a smoking sputtering mess for Dale to stand at the window, watch and grumble about under his breath. My brother Rob,who was visiting with his son Marcus, rescued the fire at some point from its certain demise.
As each girl arrived, the noise from the boys and the stunts they were attempting to perform to catch the girls attention grew and grew. When Abby finally walked out to the fire, the cacophony grew to a fever pitch. I had no idea what the guys were doing to make such a scene and I am quite certain they did not know either. Josiah’s friends ability to create a cacophony of noise is unparalleled.
What a nice looking group. Happy Birthday!