Peace, Love and ongoing goodness

I love summer. If summer were a forever thing I'm pretty sure I would be fully content. My goal is to wring the most out of the sun, extra time and opportunities to love and grow.
This past week was the ideal mixture of summer days that make me happy to be alive. Tristan was up with me for the week and from our chats about life to having him participate in a leadership camp for incoming freshman it was sheer awesomeness.
I feel very grateful to have opportunities to be with the nephews and just how very happy they make my heart. The little dude was rocking out from sun up to sun down from the lake, the beach, skate park and back yard it was non-stop awesomeness. He definitely kept me on my feet and brought lots and lots of smiles to my face.

I've been a SAC for ten years now and I've tinkered and tweaked many types of programs over the years. But this was my first experience leading a group of incoming freshmen for my first annual "Peace, Love and Leadership Camp." It exceeded expectations. It was so insanely awesome to watch these kids gain insight into the power behind having a plan and goals for high school before they even step foot in the door come September. We hit on their peer group, decisions regarding substances, the importance of being submerged in the school culture as well as the richness involved in giving back. It rocked!

The week ended with close to 20 teens bringing in bags of food collected in their communities and then stacking and bagging goods for families in our area. It was awesome watching them realize the impact they were making and that it didn't take too much sacrifice on their part to do something pretty significant. My heart swelled with pride as I spotted Tristan next to the Food Pantry coordinator organizing pasta sauce and veggies. He didn't hesitate to jump in and later commented on how cool it felt to help people. There's no age limit in giving back. What an awesome week that was challenging, fulfilling and provided a sense of stoke that has left me ready for more. Bring on the goodness!