I woke up this morning with the cutest little girl on the foot of my bed. She looked at me with big eyes and declared, "You usually see me at church!" My reply was, "Yes, but it sure is fun seeing you at the Lake!" (Even if I did not expect to see her on my bed.) She had on a princess nightgown which she twirled hurriedly in her fingers while she continued the conversation. "Shhh!" she whispered, "my daddy is still sleeping." Then she skipped off loudly down the hall talking about upcoming plans for the morning.
I had to smile to myself as I thought about what it's like to have KIDS at the Lake. It is a time of sharing everyday life--cooking, eating, bathing in the lake (for some), visiting about our lives, sharing "kid duty," and just generally being encouraged that we can be ourselves and that there is still someone who will hang out with us for the whole weekend. The feeling of belonging just can't be explained. Cornerstone's mission of finding friends does not always take us outside the Cornerstone family. There are plenty of us who pass each other week after week, smiling and greeting each other sincerely, yet never creating the space to truly belong to each other.
So that's what KIDS at the Lake had provided: the space and time to belong to each other like family. A huge Thank You! to Chuck, Tina and their family for graciously providing us the place to make that happen. The memories will last a lifetime!
