Its Not My Job- Its My Life!!

   I cannot believe we are about to enter week three of camp! This summer is going by way too fast!! I'm ready to press the pause button and just linger here for a long time!
   This week was a FULL week. Every single bed in the cabins were filled. Its a good problem to have, but it makes for a very busy week. I'm so thankful that though it was a full week, there were less issues than last week- well, on the girls' side anyway. It was Eddie's week to have a bunch of things pop up and have to deal with. Things that he handled with care, grace and kindness. I'm so thankful I work with a great guy who loves this job as much as I do.
   I don't normally focus on the guys side of camp, but for a few minutes I want to praise them for their amazing work this week. We had a lot of autistic guys at camp this week. It wasn't planned, just how it ended up and I was curious to see how this week would go. Several of these campers are the type that walks around constantly, makes continual noise- or maybe no noise at all, they don't like big group activities- the noise and action are just too much for them. I'm always curious to see how the counselors handle this kind of thing. I've seen the best of the best but I've also seen the worst of the worst. This week though, I saw the best of the best. The guy counselors took on the challenge that I call patience. Autism has always fascinated me. I love learning about it, I love observing it. Being able to interact with people who have autism is just purely amazing. Day one this week I was impressed when one of our new counselors volunteered to stick with one of our autistic campers for the entire week after only being around him for an hour. It wasn't that this camper was so entertaining, so enthralling in conversation, because truth is, this camper is non-verbal, walks around continuously, rarely likes being in big groups of people. Staff training week, (I am so ashamed to admit this) I had this guy pegged as one of the new counselors that wouldn't make it long into the summer. I saw him as one of the ones who didn't realize what he had gotten into by agreeing to work at camp. I expected him to fail. So when he volunteered to stick by this camper's side all week, possibly sacrificing being able to do any activities or big group activities in the evening, I was shocked. Being with a 1 on 1 camper for a whole week is very tiring. I've done it in the past and those are the weeks that always wore me out physically and mentally the most. So I was very curious to see how this guy did. Every day his patience only grew. Every time I talked to him he'd tell me something new he'd discovered about this camper. The more time he spent with this camper the more in love he fell. I watched him day in and day out and I was so impressed. He was amazing and really stepped it up this week. I'm so thankful he proved me wrong. I will never doubt him again.
   Another cabin approached their autistic camper in a different manner- by changing who was with the camper every day. This camper also walked around camp this week doing his own thing. He didn't attend many activities, but just where his heart desired to go, his counselor would follow. Every day his counselors impressed me as they all bottled up their patience as they learned to work with him. What things worked to help him, what things did not.
    My guys did not lose patience at all this week. I can't be any prouder of them. As I walk around camp throughout the week, I'm always watching for camper/counselor interaction. My favorite moments come when I see a counselor and camper hand in hand walking to an activity. Watching as a counselor works one on one with a camper to help them understand what they are doing or help them with a motor skill. These are the moments I capture either mentally or with my camera and want to frame for the whole world to see. THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE!!! Putting aside disabilities, breaking down the barriers that are there from the disabilities. That is what I love about camp. I love what it does to these people who unknowingly come to camp expecting to make a difference in the lives of our campers but having their lives changed forever in the process. There are days I wish my job for life could be just traveling around the world helping people see this kind of thing and making a difference world wide. Oh man what a changed world we would see!!! I recently posted as my status on my Facebook, "I love my life at camp!! It's not my job... ITS MY LIFE!!!" That is what paradise is like my friends!! Excited to get up every day and go to work- but not viewing it as work- its your passion and your life. I wish camp was year round. I would live here forever. People ask me sometimes "How do you do it?"... "Why do you do it?" ... they have trouble understanding why even though I get up at 2:30 am at some point in my weeks (such as this past week) and have to deal with a situation, why do I get excited? Truth is, when I hear someone knock at my door at 2:30 am there is that human side of me that only wants to go back to sleep. To wish that all was well and I didn't have to get up. But the bigger truth is, I have a love for these people that compels me- propels me into action with out a single thought of wanting to stay in bed. I wish everyone could understand it. I wish you could know the deep deep love of these campers. You think they don't know how much they do for them? Think again! Do you know how many campers have turned to me while I am helping them with personal hygiene, and told me thank you? They throw me completely off guard. The ones I least expect it from, they know. They know what you are doing to help them. They just don't always know how to tell you that they understand and how grateful they are. I cry almost every time my own brother does it to me. He's one of the most grateful people I have ever met. Don't tell me he doesn't know how much I do for him. Don't tell me that in my weak moments when I want to sigh and complain about having to get up and do something for him that he doesn't see it or understand the impact it has. He knows. They all know. What if you couldn't do for yourself? You were dependent on those around you to help you with every detail of your personal life? What if you were fine mentally but your physical disabilities hindered you from getting people to see and understand that you understand everything? Would what you say around these people be kind? Would your attitude be in the right place? Love them. Love them with unconditional, never ending love. If you do, you too will get a glimpse into Paradise.