I was nervous when I put my ten-year-old stepdaughter on the bus for church camp an hour away.  She's already a long, long way from her usual residence with her mom and I didn't know how she was going to handle her first week away from her home-away-from-home.  I was even feeling guilty for sending her, even though the only reason she was going was because she begged for a year to be allowed to go!  
    The morning she was leaving, we arrived at the church to get her set up on the bus.  She became very shy and withdrawn.  I was half-tempted to just put her suitcase back in my car and offer up the standard, "Maybe next year."
    But she wanted to get on the bus, so on it she got.  And then I spent four days worrying.  You see, this camp has a phone for emergencies only.  That means no calls home for reassurance or to combat homesickness.  How was I supposed to know if she was adjusting?  My only saving grace was that my little sister was counseling there, so I knew she would keep an eye on the Munchkin for me.  To be honest, that's the only reason I agreed to let her go in the first place.  My sister loves my kids so very much, and that absolutely includes the Munchkin.  I knew that she would make sure all was well.  But I was still scared.
    Thursday night they held the neurotic parent's dream:  Family Night.  That means we got to come check out the actual camp and see our camper a day early.  We pulled up and saw the Munchkin before she saw us.  She was engaged in very animated conversation with a couple of other girls.  I immediately felt better.  I realized that, more than anything else, I was afraid she would ostracize herself and not make any friends.  I worried about that even more than the common issues of homesickness and injury.  But she had fit right in.  In fact, she had become inseparable with one other girl from the church and will be having whatever ten-year-olds call a playdate with her later this week.
    What a lesson for me that God is in control and will not abandon my family when we are actively seeking Him-- or any other time, for that matter.  What a relief, really.  To be honest, trying to be Master of My Own Little Universe has been wearing me out lately.  Maybe it's a sign to hand over the reigns to The One Who Knows Where It Is We're Supposed To Be Going...

CL