Campsick

As you know, Pat has abducted me and forced me into labour at.... no, no.... I'm kidding. This summerI am working at Camp Norland. So, the other day, I was laying in bed in my nice single room that I have to share with no one that has it's own personal bathroom. Yet, I was laying there trying to decide whether to get up early in the morning to shower or wait until some other time during the day. That thought led to the fact that it's always a little chilly in the morning and I don't like to walk down the hallway because it's not carpeted. That thought led me to the memory that Galilean IS carpeted. And as all this went through my mind, I had a slight twinge... that twinge was campsickness! It started with the carpet... yet slowly progressed until I thought of all the people I missed and the other traditions that were different. I remembered the fact that we have a basketball court that I loved to play in on the weeklends. I remembered that we had a wakeboard. I remembered that I had been going there since I was six years old(5 if you count the year I was a staff kid)! And I remembered that I had friends there that I had known since Jr. High. I let all this circulate in my mind of about 5 minutes. Then I got up to use my private bathroom and as I walked the 3 steps to it's door I came to the conclusion that the next time I had a day off... I'd bring my slippers back with me.

Janet Update

One thing I like about blogs is their potential to keep up to date with what is going on in the lives of old friends. I know many of us are busy and it's not always easy to email everyone and stay in touch. So here's a quicker way. Just put it out there in a blog! (That's assuming you even have time for blogging) So, since those are my thoughts, I'll just give as little blurb on what's going on in my life right now and I encourage others to do the same.

So... for anyone who cares and doesn't know already. I just graduated from the Early Childhood Education program at Canadore(if anyone wants a grad picture, I think I have enough for the refridgerators in half of North Bay! haha Maybe I'll even throw in a magnet) Anyway, I'm excited to have something under my belt. But, I'm not yet working in my field because I'm going to school again in the fall. I'm heading out to Briercrest in Caronport, Saskatchewan and am very excited/terrified!! I'm looking forward to getting more training in music as well as some biblical studies. Anyway, you'll probably hear more about that later.

For now, I'm working at Camp Norland. I feel a little bit like a traitor to Galilean, which is still my beloved "home" camp! However, I'm really looking forward to my summer. They call me the Assistant Director in charge of female staff... or something like that. It sounds kinda impressive... but don't be decieved. I'm still an insecure 20 year old who feels like she's gotten in over her head yet again! :) Anyway, I'll leave it at that. You'll, no doubt, hear much more about my camp experience if you bookmark my page and check periodically over the summer. Oh, and if you want to go to camp or just want to check it out, here's the website! http://www.norland.on.ca

Thanks for viewing my site! I'll try to keep things interesting:)

Why I am Single

Haha! Ok... so maybe that's a scary title for a post. But I found a great quote(yes, another quote, Pat) that really said what I've kinda realized about myself and relationships.

"If we love a human being and do not love God, we demand of him(or her) every perfection and every rectitude, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; we are demanding of a human being that which he or she cannot give. There is only one Being Who can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Our Lord is apparently so severe regarding every human relationship is because He knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster."
-Oswald Chambers

That sounds a little harsh. And I really hope the "cruel and vindictive" part isn't true of me! However, the quote is very very true! And so this is why I am single and will remain so until I can say a wholehearted "YES" to God's question of me...

"Is My love enough for you?"

Hmm.... So, Clark Kent, eh?

Well, when I sat down at the computer tonight, I had no intention of blogging. I didn't really have anything to say. And I'm just stressed and frustrated. (Don't worry, Sabrina! I'm not frustrated with you... even though I was 8 minutes too late for Mudsharks to rent that movie I need to preview! Haha No, I'm kidding) But anyway, I checked down through my little list of blogs to see if anyone had written anything, when an idea came to mind. (Ok, so maybe I could have skipped the intro... I'll just get into it now.)

This is kind of in reaction to Mark's blog that I read about Superman. (See Mark Smith in the side bar if you're wondering:)) Being a very recent, but huge Smallville fan, Mark's blog really stopped me short. I had never really contemplated why the Superman image so intrigued me. I had certainly never compared Clark Kent to Jesus Christ! So, now the question is, why DO I enjoy Smallville so much? (Well, I think I should stop here to say that I've never watched the actual Superman movies, so I don't know if they are like Smallville, so maybe my own ideas wont be reflective of those movies.) Anyway, I'm still thinking this through, so this is going to be a little jumbled. But first of all, the first thing I think of if I were to compare Clark Kent to Jesus is that Jesus has no weakness, whereas Clark becomes weak when near kryptonite(which happens at some point in every show!). Clark also goes through temptations in the shows and FAILS them! He gives in, whereas Jesus did not. But I think what makes me like him so much is that, even though he's deathly allergic to kryptonite, he faces it every show to save someone. He puts himself in harm's way to help people and be the best friend that he can be. Oh, to have or be such a good friend! He's not perfect... he messes up all the time and his best friends are always getting mad at him. But, when it's important, he's always there and his friends realize that. I think maybe it's the selflessness I see in Clark that I like the most.

Maybe Eldridge is right and I am longing for a human hero. And actually, the more I think about it, the more I see that there is alot of imagery in the film that could be taken that way. However, I'd also like to say that we can choose what we get out of things. As much as I know that we're all human and we all mess up, I guess I'm still searching for people to look up to and emulate. When really the only "person" I'm supposed to try to emulate is Christ. So, I guess I've just gone in a circle and come to the conclusion that Mark and Eldridge are right. But is there anything wrong with me wishing for such selfless people in the world? Or wishing to be like that myself? If they have created an imaginary person as a "shadow" of Christ, shouldn't we all be trying to be like that? I'd love for people to look at me, ask me why I'm the way I am so I can point them to Christ! Anyway... I think I've confused myself... so feel free to comment so I can be UNconfused! :)

Fear Not!

I have really been struggling lately with feeling like a failure in my Christian walk. I've been feeling like I'm fighting myself the whole way in trying to do God's will in my life and in trying to grow at all. However, I was greatly encouraged when I read this. Maybe it will encourage you as well:

"If any man compares his own soul to the picture drawn in the New Testament of what a Christian ought to be; if any man fixes his eye on the pattern of self-sacrifice, of purity, of truth, of tenderness, and measures his own distance from that standard, he might be ready to dispair. But fear not, because you are far from being like the pattern set before you, fear not because your faults are too painful to think of, continue the battle and fear not. If, indeed, you are content with yourself, and are making no endeavor to rise above the poor level at which you now stand, then there is reason to fear. But if you are fighting with all your might, fear not, however often you may have fallen, however deeply, however ungratefully, however inexcusably."
- Frederick Temple

Sometimes it feels like the harder I try to get closer to God, the worse I become as a person! But I've begun to realize that maybe that's not the case afterall. I think what's really happening is, that the closer I get to God, the more AWARE I am of what an awful person I am! The more AWARE I am of all the sin in my life and exactly what He did for me. If I can praise God and feel like the worst person in the world, then I believe I am making progress.

(Is this too personal? Have I gotten this page confused with my diary? haha! I just hope that maybe someone will stumble across this that might need to hear it, too.)

Me... Except Not

OK... so I've been reading this book(in the adjacent picture... and I think it's so cool that I can put in pictures! So, if I go a little overboard, I apologize:)) Anyway, I love when I come across books that so express many things I feel but don't have the words or ability to express it myself. This happens to be one of those such books. I identify so well with the authorthat it almost feels like a much much MUCH smarter me talking to myself. And to make that even neater, she says in the book that her favrourite verse is:

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?"

OK, if you haven't guessed yet, that's been my favourite verse for years! So, she's, like, Me, except a much better writer!! haha! Anyway, all of this intro just to leave you with a quote she put in the book that really spoke to me today.

"Not many of us are living at our best. We linger in the lowlands because we are afraid to climb the mountains. The steepness and ruggedness dismay us, and so we stay in the misty valleys and do not learn the mystery of the hills. We do not know what we lose in our self-indulgence, what glory awaits us if only we had courage for the mountain climb, what blessing we should find if only we would move to the uplands of God."
- J. R. M.

Nothing Much

Really I'm just writing this because my one solitary blog looks very lonely. But then I thought, well what really happened today that would be of any interest and worthy of writing. The only exciting thing about today is the fact that I PASSED MY G2 EXIT TEST!! Really, I'm not that excited. But it was scary, ok?! Those driving examiners can be mean! For example:

"Jim": Ok, you passed, but what was with that hesitation at that one right-hand turn off of Main Street?

Janet: Well, I was confused...

"Jim": What's confusing about a green arrow pointing right?

Janet: Well, I'd never seen that before... and well, ....

"Jim": It's just like the left ones we always see, except it was right.

Janet: OK!!! You win! You're the examiner! I should have known that the right arrow meant to go right with no question! I wanna go home!!

Ok, so I exaggerated a bit, but having that guy act like I should know everything there is to know about driving made me think about the way I might sometimes act in my own areas of "expertise" (or supposed expertise). It kinda reminds me of this conversation....

Janet: So we won our frisbee game tonight.

"Carol": Oh.... you get points in frisbee?

Janet: Well, yeah... it's a game. You know... ultimate frisbee? You probably played it in gym class in highschool?

"Carol": So... how do you get points? Like... you throw it back and forth and if you catch it you get a point?

Janet: Well, it's a whole game... like football... you have to catch it in the end zone. What? Have you never heard of ULTIMATE FRISBEE?? It's like, a game! It's like... popular! Everyone plays it!!!!!! And everyone knows you turn right at the green arrow on Main Street! Come on!!

Anyway, this was all just a reminder for me that we all have a different knowledge base and should be gracious and humble in all circumstances. And yes, never forget to turn right at the green arrow on Main Street.

(Sabrina, I changed your name to "Carol" up there to hide your identity, ok? Talk to you later!)

Check out this ultimate frisbee clip! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljs9Vru4h7I

Beginning

Ok... so I never thought I'd see myself doing this. But here I am! I always kinda wondered if people ever read these. Then I took a good look at how often I checked out people's blogs when I had the time(or when I didn't have the time but was avoiding what I was supposed to be doing). Then I thought.... "Janet, either you have way too much time on your hands and you're really wierd, or there are many other closet blog-readers out there!" So now I've decided to start my own. I don't yet know what it will look like. But I'm hoping my thoughts may actually be worth reading. I hope some are informative. I hope some are creative. I hope some make you smile!