Encountering Christ

When I reminded my dear husband a few weeks ago he had promised to chaperon for our younger daughter's Confirmation retreat to Camp Our Lady of Guadalupe, known affectionately as Camp OLOG by many here in the Oklahoma City diocese, he wasn't especially thrilled at the prospect of spending a week-end with forty to fifty teenagers.

Knowing his joyful anticipation, I wondered what our daughter, Michelle, was going to say when I told her, that her dad was tagging along. After Bear's offer was gratefully accepted, much to his chagrin, our Youth Minister called back and wanted to know if my oldest daughter and I also wanted to come along as chaperons. We begged off, pleading prior plans. But I couldn't help wondering how Michelle would react to her entire family at the retreat. Having her dad wouldn't be too bad, I reasoned. He's pretty cool most of the time and after all, unlike 'Mom', he would be in the boy's cabin and therefore not within hovering distance.

A couple of days before the retreat Michelle learned her Dad was going along...and two adults she knows from our regular week-end Mass, friends of her Mom. She wasn't too happy. We had a family pow-wow. It seems she was looking forward to this week-end because it was a chance to 'get away from her family' for awhile. As her mom, it's sometimes hard for me to understand why she needs and wants 'to get away' from us but then my wise husband asked me, "Didn't you ever want to get away from your family at that age?"

As a matter of fact, I did...

When they returned, Michelle came in carrying this crucifix made out of Play-Doh. My husband and daughter only spoke twice during the retreat and once gave each other a hug. Mostly Bear spent his time explaining teenagers to the other adults chaperoning the kids. He's pretty good at that. He has a lot of experience helping me. I was very tuned into my children when they were little, but since they've become teenagers, I've had to get to know them all over again. It's a day by day process; some days I 'get' it and many days I don't. Or maybe I should say, some days I let them be who they are and other days I expect them to be who I think they should be, or who I think they are, I'm really not sure which. Bear is much better at letting people be who they are, at accepting. I'm better at learning. He's teaching me to accept and fortunately, for our children's sake, I'm (usually) a pretty good student.

Bear said the retreat was good for the kids. They all got away from cell phones, I-pods, non-stop music, TV, and distractions. Many had incredible experiences of Confession; a lot were crying, probably for the first time as a result of receiving a sacrament. They got to spend hours just talking to each other, really talking, not texting. They walked in the woods, explored nature, discovered silence and who knows, just maybe, they even encountered Christ?

When my daughter saw the crucifix, she asked who made it. Upon learning her Dad made it, she picked it up and brought it home.


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