Most people see Susie Ma’am as the camp mom – loving and supportive. A gifted listener, she has the rare ability to see what makes every individual special and precious.

But she also has a silly side to her. We saw that in a skit last night.

She starts seriously enough. She asks the campers, “How many of you helped your parents pack for camp? Who was surprised at how much you have to pack?”

Many hands shoot into the air. [Note: I think over 70% of the hands went up, which is a remarkable number. Nice job getting your kiddos involved in the packing process. Susie Ma’am and I really struggled to get packing cooperation from two of our own four children.]

She continues, “Just look at all the items you need to bring: toothpaste, shampoo, sun screen, deodorant and even Gold Bond. That is a lot!” As she names each item, she takes it out of a bag and places it on a table.

“What if I told you that just one product could replace all these items?” She says as she dramatically swipes all them off the table.

The counselors (in on the joke) cry out “no way” or “tell me more Susie Ma’am” or “what could that miracle product be?”

“It is true. Do you want to know what it is?” She asks. After the campers cry “yes”, she pauses, smiles and reaches into her bag for the dramatic reveal:

“Grape Jelly!”

Five counselors then come forward to solicit her advice. One is self-conscious about her breath since she has not brushed her teeth in days, another complains of an itchy scalp after choosing not to shampoo, yet another complains of sun burn.

In each case, Susie Ma’am explains that she has something that can help them and presents the Grape Jelly. The counselors dutifully – even joyfully – apply the jelly to their teeth, hair, face (remember to put some on the tips of ears to avoid burns there), etc.

[Note: I continue to marvel at how much our counselors want to delight your children. Rubbing a cup of jelly into your hair might seem a little crazy, but the laughter of the campers made it worth it for them.]

At the end of the skit, she hands a piece of bread to each counselor and then offers the final selling point:

“Not only can Grape Jelly replace all these items, but if you get hungry later, it can make a great snack!” At which point the counselors scrape the jelly out of their hair or off their face and take a quick bite.

The campers loved it.

Steve Sir