Moment of silence please..

Thank you for that moment of silence.  We are mourning the passing of summer.  School starts in a couple days and football games are on TV.  I don't care what the calendar says summer is kaput!  It does amaze me the stark contrast in the past 2 summers in western Iowa.  Last year we were waiting for the levees to fail and Council Bluffs and other towns to be washed away by the mighty Missouri River.  This year we couldn't get rain out of a hurricane it is so dry around here.  Like someone said, "we survived the summer of the flood and we'll survive the summer of the drought."
I know it is cliche, but where does the time really go?  We just completed a very successful Vacation Bible School program here with the help of First Presbyterian in Neola.  We had about 80 kids attend and I think they enjoyed themselves and they might have even learned something along the way.  It always amazes me how much enthusiasm and joy the kids bring.  They are so excited to come to church and play, eat, make crafts, see friends, and learn a little something about God.  I've heard from more than one parent about how excited their child was to come to VBS.  I've also heard from more than one kid how much fun they had too.  Thank you to everyone who helped in any way!!  We could not have put on such a super program without all the volunteers.
Back to the kids' joy, at what point do we lose that enthusiasm to learn about God?  At what point does it become a chore to come to church...just another check mark to click off your list?  If that hasn't happened to you then super, but how many people come to church bouncing off the walls with excited energy?  Ok, maybe I'm being a little silly with my comparisons to young elementary kids energy and our adult energy.  We'd frown upon a "seasoned" church member running up and down the aisles or crying because mom forgot the fruit snacks.  My point is why do we lose that pure unbridled joy?  I suppose we could blame it on our grown up sensibilities, but we should never lose that excitement to learn about the One who created and sustains us should we?  Think about all that we owe to our Maker...I know all of our lives haven't been a walk in the park, but I bet we have a tremendous amount to be thankful for.  Yet, we tend to reluctantly volunteer to help, we view going to church and worshiping the God who gave us life as any other chore, and oh please don't ask me to change anything about my life...am I right?  Instead of being excited to worship and be able to serve our ever loving and forgiving God we turn it into a job almost.  Let's hope the spark of those VBS kids reminds us to bring a lot of joy to our worship and lives lived for God.