Small Town Things

By Saskatchewan standards, my life hasn't been too interesting. However for all of you unfamiliar with the ways of small towns, my life has been a little strange. In the last couple weeks, I've been to two parades. The typical float in one of these parades is a pick-up truck with a banner posted on the side and the driver's children in the back hucking candy at the people on the street. Other favorites include ancient tractors of every variety, horses, and kids on bicycles with streamers on the handlebars. This year was my province's 100th birthday as well as the 75th birthday of my beloved hometown, Frontier. As part of the celebration, the Stanley Cup - the big prize of professional hockey - was on display in our local rec center.

I spent a week at Valley View Bible Camp where the muddy little Frenchman River flows and God blesses our week despite our meagre resources. I struggled a little with my advanced age when I realized that I had counselled most of the other counselors in previous years. It was hard to think of them as adults even though they're only a couple of years younger than I am. It was so good to reacquaint myself with people from home. But my favorite part of camp is what God does there. A lot of kids react emotionally to the speaker and therefore it makes no lasting impact in their lives. But there are always some who are affected. Every year, I'm one of them.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a demolition derby. It cost me TEN BUCKS, but it was interesting to see the cars smash each other so much that they eventually all looked like hatch-backs. The highlight was when it started to hail on us and the soil and grass built up on our shoes.

I miss the entertainment of the city, but it is good to be home where I can go golfing with my cousin Mike and it doesn't matter that I'm double par.