An old soul in a young body

We picked up our daughter from camp yesterday after a very crazy week she spent away. When we pulled up, I wasn't even out of the van and she was running to me, a beaming smile on her face. I was a little befuddled at first wondering if it was a smile of "Thank God you're here, get me out of here!", or a "I am happy, I've had a great time, but I'm glad to see you!' Thank goodness it was the latter. She had one of the best weeks in her life, she told me. The water lines backed up in and flooded their cabins, they didn't have a shower until the third day, she had some poison ivy, they spent the night in the storm shelter one night during the storms, but it was "awesome"! "Sounds pretty great to me!" I replied almost sarcastically. One of the camp leaders found me and told me what a great kid she is. She was instrumental in keeping everyone calm and in good spirits during the storm. She never let the bad stuff get her down, and if anything, was a leader and enlightening influence on the entire camp. "She is a very mature, strong, leader for such a young kid!" This was very evident as I sat on the back row of the outdoor chapel where they conducted the closing worship service. She was surrounded by about 5 or 6 other kids and she was the center of it all. Next to her was our son. He sat there with her arm around him and enjoyed the attention too. She could have shooed away her bratty little brother, but she embraced and included him. Yet another sign of an old soul in a young body. After all the hugs and goodbyes to her new friends, we left and she began asking about the storms and Chapman. We drove through Chapman taking her to camp. She then told me, "It was such a nice little town! I want to start a collection of soup and stuff for the people there. Can we do that?" I told her that was an excellent idea. We'll start this weekend.