My tent never looked better

My tent never looked better, is still in it's bag.

Chuck and I are sitting in an airstream RV with a front porch, awning, and little airstream-trout lights strung across the front. There is a mountain thunderstorm going on, lightning is flashing across the sky. Yet, we are safe and sound sitting on our front porch watching the action.

We left Grand Junction yesterday, stayed the night in Cotopaxi, Colorado, then headed to Crystal River, Colorado. Tonight, we are relaxing in style. When we called and there were no tent sites available we almost did not come this direction, but then they said we have this old RV you can use. It didn't sound too appealing but we thought we would give it a try. We are so glad we did.

We rode through some of the most beautiful country that we had ever been in. We crossed mountain ranges and summits. We rode into Aspen and saw the huge homes, the airport stacked with private jets. Of course this got me to thinking.

We don't have any members at our YMCA that have a private jet, I doubt if we have any that have a home like the ones I saw in Aspen. I thought about the staff that has forgone this kind of life for one that give back to those that have virtually nothing.

I started thinking about our Youth Development team.

They do things like, After school enrichment or ASE. ASE is a program that works with kids after school in the schools. They do things like Lego Engineering, cooking, and other life skill training. They work with the kids that others don't have time for. They provide programming that schools have dropped due to budget cuts.

These people could do just anything, they have degrees they are people of capacity, yet they spend their days working with underprivileged kids.

I began to think about how at first I wasn't too thrilled about sleeping in an old RV. But, when Chuck and I arrived we saw that the KOA had worked with it and turned it into a great place. They had taken something somebody else did not want and made it beautiful. Our Youth Development Department does the same thing everyday. They take a kid that somebody else does have time for and works with them. They make beautiful people.

I'd rather spend my life with them then ten minutes with somebody who would rather spend money on themselves. Aspen is a beautiful place.

The Clark County Family YMCA is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people.

I just thought you should know.

Blessings,

Roger