Top
Down Holiday
This song was written for and is dedicated to my nieces,
my wonderful nieces, Lindsey, Christina, Aron, Mary Katherine,
and Laurie.
 In
summer of 1998, i hosted the first ever Camp Uncleallen,
a time with my nieces and nephews at the farm where i live,
two weeks heavy on the magic of surprise, novel recreation,
and "organized chaos." Some of you might have heard me share
my hope for the week, that of wanting to create an unforgettable
time, an "exclamation point," in the kids lives. They, of
course, maybe years hence, will have to be the judges of
whether i accomplished my goal or not but, for me, even
with the occasional bickerings and disappointments and ingratitude
and fatigue, it was a memorable experience. Just a few hours
into the first week, which i spent with three nephews, i
wasn't sure if my body, my mind, my patience, or my wallet
would give out first. i'm pleased to say that everything
survived and, in the process, i learned a lot about kids,
a lot about myself, a lot about people and life in general.
i'll not trouble you with every detail of camp, but
here's a rough rundown of some of our activities.
The boys' camp began with a trip to Walmart (a toy spree),
a meal at McDonalds, an evening at Hollywood Connection
(an indoor fun park for kids with 10 movie theatres, skating
rink, carousel, video arcade, laser tag, bump cars, putt
putt, etc, etc, etc), a midnight snack at Dunkin Donuts
to prepare for grocery shopping, and then a grocery shopping
extravaganza. The rule for buying the week's food supply
was simple. The kids had their own grocery carts and were
free to buy as much of whatever they wanted for the week.
When the first four items turned out to be two giant Hershey
bars, one bag of Hershey kisses, and a six-pack of Orville
Redenbacker popcorn, i knew this was not a health food bunch.
When the carts were full, i noticed no fruit, no vegetable,
no meat. At my suggestion they might want to add some fruit,
they got pop tarts; when i suggested that they might want
to add a vegetable, they got salsa; add meat? They got pizza
with pepperoni. Day one ended with bedtime about 2:30 a.m.
The boys awoke on day two to receive Camp Uncleallen
tshirts, hats, to play a round of frisbee golf, to do some
artwork on an outside wall of my studio, a cap-gun fight,
four wheel ride, water war with new model 1500 super soakers
(also known as the thirty dollar squirt gun), a pizza dinner
followed by fireworks, and a late night swim.
We began day three by writing letters to Uncle Gary
in Macedonia followed by a four wheel ride in which the
boys drove the machines while i set the pace on my bicycle.
(A failed attempt on my part to work off the Hersheys.)
After our ride, i told the boys to put the four wheelers
up and to get in the car for a ride to get lunch. We ended
up two hours away in Atlanta, where we checked into a hotel,
swam and ate pizza. At 5:30, a stretch limousine (which
had been lined up in advance) picked us up and took us to
an Atlanta Braves game. We had good club level seats and
enjoyed a beautiful evening of baseball. Afterwards, we
caught a tram to the Atlanta airport where we ate supper
at 11:00 and then caught a shuttle to the hotel.
Add to these activities a John Wayne movie, an afternoon
of bowling and pin ball games, swimming, more four wheel
rides, lots of junk food, an occasional argument (can you
believe that?), and some really good conversations and you
get an idea of how full the six days were.
 i'll
describe the girls' camp in less detail. It started with
a grocery shopping trip ($244. worth of junk food), a first
meal of banana splits, receipt of gift baskets that were
waiting for them when they walked in the house, a story
reading (You Are Special, by Max Lucado; wonderful story
which i used to explain to the girls why i was having camp
with them). During the week, we did the Hollywood connection,
woke to watch a sunrise and ride bikes at Callaway Gardens,
had a dancing lesson (to learn how to shag, thanks to Isa
Cheves and Charles Scarborough), shot fireworks, rode four-wheelers,
painted flowers on windowpanes, drew profiles on an outside
wall of my studio, had a top down holiday in which we spent
a day riding around town in a 1960's convertible (caught
all on tape by a professional videographer; to be used for
a music video of the song "top down holiday"), ate lots
of candy, and talked a lot about lots of things.
So what could be learned from such a week?
For openers, i was reminded of how blessed i am to have
such wonderful nieces and nephews. As different as they
are, and they are different just as their parents are, they
are unique reflections of their Maker. i'm grateful that
they'd hang out for a week with their old uncle and am thankful
that i get to claim them in some sense as my own. Having
said that, i was reminded that, again like their parents
and uncles, they bear all the marks of an imperfect human
race. In short, i saw me in them.
The week was a study in gratitude, and its absence.
We are not naturally thankful; hence the constant injunctions
and reminders in scripture that we "be thankful." i noticed
in the boys a tendency that i see all too often in myself.
No sooner is a blessing sent my way that i 'open' it, throw
away the wrapping, and start looking for "what's next?"
The boys had that very same tendency, no doubt inherited
from the likes of their uncle allen. i had to ask God to
forgive me of my consistent ingratitude and had some good
talks with the boys about the value of a thankful heart.
i once read something to the effect that "he loves life
most who is thankful for least." Would that we might be
more and more appreciative for every (big word there), every
blessing that comes our way, realizing, as my brother reminds
me sometimes that, the only thing we deserve is hell - all
else is mercy. Instead of saying "what's next," perhaps
we can train ourselves, by God's grace, to more sense the
wonder of our moment by moment blessings and develop a true
sense of gratitude.
The day in Atlanta with the boys was instructive in
trust. When we left the farm that morning, the boys complained
that they didn't want to quit riding the four wheelers.
i told them, as i often did during the week, to trust me.
They didn't know it at the time, but i had a stretch limousine,
Braves tickets, a hotel room, and their kind of food waiting
for them, if they'd but do what i said. Based on the things
that i'd already done for them, i expected them to have
confidence in me. When we'd been on the road for about an
hour, especially since they had only expected a ten minute
ride to Hamilton, they got short-tempered and put out a
bit. See the parallel?
Scripture says that the Lord knows the end from the
beginning. We know only the present moment, and that only
dimly and with great limitation. We too gladly cling to
our perceptions of what makes life full and complete. Oftentimes,
that perception leaves Christ out of the formula. And yet
God desires for us, and will navigate us to, a meaningful
relationship with Himself. He has spiritual riches for us
if we will just leave our own agendas and surrender in obedience
to His mandate for our lives. (Matt.22:34-40; Matt.28:18-20)
The boys, on the day we went to Atlanta, were unwilling
at first to leave the four wheeler on a hot dusty dirt road,
because they had no idea what awaited them, despite my promise
that they would be glad if they came along. (Without arguing
the relative merits of motorbike rides compared to a stretch
limo ride and a Braves game, you can see how the boys, lacking
faith in their camp director, would willingly have missed
out on a pretty special event.) Again, Lewis makes the point
well: "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of
reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised
in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire,
not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures,
fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite
joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go
on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what
is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far
too easily pleased."
Finally, i was struck at how one moment could be total
exasperation followed immediately by a fit of laughter.
(You parents probably know all about this phenomenon but,
for one not used to having kids around for more than a few
hours at a time, it was rather striking.) i had to wonder
if that, in a sense, is what i put God through with my constant
vacillation and foolishness? He, of course, "reacts" perfectly
and is not given to the frustration which characterizes
my own reactions. Still, i pray that i will cause Him more
laughter than exasperation.
Special thanks to Ed Cash, for electric guitar, bass,
and percussion on this song.
If you look out the window, baby, i believe you'll
see
A sunny day that was made just for you and me i got a good
idea,
i'm gonna rent a convertible car
Gonna put down the top and ride you round like a movie star
We gonna fill up the tank and burn the whole thing
today
If we get a little sunburn well baby that's quite ok
We gonna sunday drive for a hundred carefree miles
i'll bring a panoramic camera to catch your easy smile
On this top down holiday
We'll fill up the CD box with our favorite songs
When JT starts to sing, i'm gonna sing along
We gonna have no fear, gonna turn the music up real loud
We might get out and do a dance for the stoplight crowd
Put on your baseball cap, turn that thing around
Gonna have a one-car parade in this rivertown
We gonna wave a every woman, man and child
Gonna take a panoramic camera to catch your easy smile
On this top down holiday
If the law man pulls us over and he say we're doing
wrong
We'll tell him turn that blue light off, hop in, and come
along
Hey, sir, it's a holiday
We'll keep some fresh cut flowers in between the
seat
We'll pass them out to strangers on the street
We're gonna Sunday drive for a hundred carefree miles
i'll bring a panoramic camera to catch your easy smile
On this top down holiday
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