reminiscing on humidity

lately it's been gloriously hot and humid.  i can say this for two reasons:  first (and foremost), i have air conditioning for the first time in my married life.  and second:  i grew up in Ontario.

Ontario in August can feel like your being slowly suffocated by a hot wet sock.  really, that lovely.  and yet, there's a part of me (and i didn't realize it until recently) that enjoys it.  i spent every summer of my childhood at a camp in the Ottawa Valley, living in a trailer, and hanging out with friends.  it was a Pentecostal camp - now, i know that's giving you visions of wild church services, complete with dancing and laughing and crying.  well, that was about it, but add to that vision the fact that these services happened every night (!!!) during family camp, and that they were held in a tin barn that conducted and stored heat like an incubator.  a barn lovingly known as the tabernacle.   as crazy as it sounds, these were magical summers for me which planted a deep desire for God in my life. 

and quite a few camp romances :).

there were many families who spent weeks on end at this camp every summer, and there's nothing like spending every day, all day, with a group of friends to solidify their place in your heart.  we played a LOT of cards, water-skied, swam, attended church, bought fundip and fries at the tuck shop, hiked through the adjacent farmlands, and pretended to smoke grass around the campfire. (and by that i don't mean marijuana, i mean grass).  sadly, i've lost touch with all of them.  but the other night i walked outside and was struck by this wall of humidity and heat and my first thought was "why don't i have cards in my hand?  i need a game!".  the air smelled sweet and sticky and my skin instantly felt prickly - it was delectable!  i was transported back to an age with few responsibilities, lots of questions and emotions, the sweet sadness of young love, languorous afternoon naps and the ecstasy of a cold lake on a hot day.

so, if you want to make my summer, the next time the humidity hits show up on my doorstep with chips in one hand and cards in the other.  i'll even let you win.

[and if anyone knows Angela Giles, Colin Wiley, Jonathan Shepherd, or Karen Kwapis tell them Janet Laing says Hello!]