July 30, 2026

The “Why” is important in every organization. Knowing the ultimate goal instills confidence in the many team members who represent that group. At Greystone, we make every effort to answer the unasked question that arises when we tell our staff to do something. If they know the foundation and the expected outcome of the rule, they are more likely to effectively represent us in the particulars.

So it is important for you to know the why behind our Four-Fold-Philosophy of life. It is a scriptural reference found in the Gospel of Luke that refers to the childhood of Jesus: And the child grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) Here we see the four areas of growth that mark a perfect life: Mental (wisdom), Physical (stature), Spiritual (God), and Social (Man). If we (all of us) grow in each of these areas in a day, we will have a Great Day!

Everything we do at camp is for the Glory of God; this is our mission. We do that by striving to grow in every area of life. Today we moved from Social growth to Physical. A simple area of growth that is surprisingly hard to do well. It starts with the basics (eat well, exercise, rest) and progresses into more subtle (but perhaps more important) concepts (body image and social standing). With this age, the basics are called for… but we encourage all Greystone Girls to explore the subtle aspects of each of the 4 areas of growth as they get older.

Jim Valvano famously said:

To me, there are three things we all should do every day. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.

As we grow in the Four-Fold-Way this week, we are experiencing something that Coach Valvano would consider something special. Everyone, campers and counselors alike, are growing as God intends us to grow… and it feels great! The perfect weather (perhaps the best weather of the summer) is partly responsible for this feeling, but there is more to it than that. If it were cold and rainy or if it were oppressively hot and muggy, we would still be experiencing this same growth. This has happened for generations; it is happening now. It is special!

Tonight we will put on our Green and Gold outfits, yell a lot, learn traditional camp cheers and team songs, and officially begin the team competition phase of the session. The program will end in time for everyone to go to fires and roast s’mores as they chatter excitedly about Challenge Day, which we will celebrate tomorrow. Our spirits are high, and everyone will have a blast!

Closing Vespers is in one week, which means that each day counts. Reiterate this fact when you write your girls. These wonderful moments will quickly pass, and we hope they will appreciate every one of them. It is a rare gift to be in a place that celebrates the gift of time. The girls are LOVING camp and, at the same time, can’t wait to see you again. They are learning to hold both of these emotions at the same time… you are going to be so proud of how they have grown.

Be thankful; God is Good!

Details: