Picture Perfect

As I have mentioned, the 2014 WCS basketball camps are in the record books and it was another good summer. We have a number of camp traditions and the following is about one of them. The young man in the story, Jonathan, grew up to be part our high school boys' basketball program...and one of my favorite students. This is from June 10, 2007.

It started a number of years ago. In our Westbury Christian basketball camps, the coach of each team picks a Camper Of The Day who exemplified the key word of the day. For the uninitiated, the key words are as follows:MONDAY: Attitude
TUESDAY: Fundamentals
WEDNESDAY: Effort
THURSDAY: Discipline
FRIDAY: TenacitySomewhere along the line, we started taking a picture of the selected campers to be posted on our basketball website. One day in the morning session of younger kids, a camper decided he would get in on the action. Jonathan popped out with an imaginary camera and took an imaginary snapshot of the Camper Of The Day and his/her coach. It quickly became a tradition with the smaller campers and Jonathan moved into the realm of camp legend. When Jonathan moved on to the afternoon sessions, his cousin, Wadad, took over. This year, Wadad's sister, Jeanette, assumed the role as Wadad graduated to the afternoon. (Jeanette is a perfectionist. She won't snap the imaginary shutters until she gets just the pose she wants!) And when Jeanette, who played on my team this past week, was picked by me to be the honoree, guess who stepped in as photographer? Several campers waved their hands, begging to be chosen interim picture taker but there was only one realistic choice; Jeanette's little brother, Samir. Several years from now, Samir will be too old to be with the morning campers and we will have to find a new imaginary photographer. That also means finding a new family. It will be the end of an era.

It's amazing how stuff, both positive and negative, runs in family. Have you ever heard of Jonadab? In Jeremiah 35, the story emerges of how an unknown Israelite changed the direction his family would follow. Jonadab issued a decree that neither he nor any one among his living family or their descendants would ever drink wine. Generations later, Jonadab's relatives were still abiding by his command of temperance. Jeremiah tried to entice the clan to imbibe but they refused. Jeremiah lauded this family, known as the Recabites, for their faithfulness that spanned decades. It all went back to one man, Jonadab. Generational interests and careers still show up. In last week's major league baseball draft, I was amazed at how many of the young men selected were sons and grandsons of ex-big leaguers. It always starts with one, whether in lifestyles or pursuits, in righteousness or indifference. In our camp, it started with Jonathan.

Applicable quote of the day:
"No photographer is as good as the simplest camera."
Edward Steichen

*The picture is from dreamstime.com*
God bless,
Steve/ Coach Hawley
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com