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.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Its Only the Beginning...
I love being back in the routine of camp! There is something about being constantly busy and having something to do that just feels good. Although, this week was more than I bargained for. When I left camp yesterday and drove back to Greenville, I thought over my week and all I could see were the negatives of my week. I struggled with that, because that's not my normal personality. I always see the bright side of things and still somehow find the good in the situation and run with it. But after several nights of little sleep, only a handful of good full meals, my attitude was greatly off base. I drove to the hospital where my mom was recovering from knee surgery from earlier in the week. I had called them Thursday night and literally cried through the whole conversation. I doubt they fully understood everything I said, but they understood I was tired, a little discouraged, ready to come home and sleep, and knew I just needed someone to listen, though I didn't feel like talking about any of it. ...(I'm such a girl)... When I arrived at the hospital I went straight to my mom who wrapped me in the biggest hug she could muster. Oh how it felt so good. I sat there with my parents for three hours telling them EVERYTHING. (As I write this I realize how much I forgot to tell them... I'm sure they are so anxious to get home so I can finish telling them everything! HA!) But they sat there and listened and just loved on me. When I got up to leave I felt so much better and suddenly I remembered all the good that happened this week. Its amazing what happens when you have two amazing supporting parents who love you so unconditionally and see only the best in you, who encourage you, and remind you that it won't last forever. I adore my parents. I have been so blessed with the best.
So as I continue telling you about my week, let me preface by saying, if anything sounds negative, please understand my heart, I adore my job and I cannot wait to return to it on Monday. It was a long hard week from my perspective but yet so much good has happened so bear with me and follow me from the negative to the positive.
Monday morning came and everyone was so pumped. I was so excited to get my week started and to share my amazing friends (the campers) with my amazing family (the staff). I knew we'd all hit it off well! I'm thankful to say that the day and night went so well. As the night was winding down I saw one of our campers was getting pretty agitated and realized her anxiety was kicking in. The camper was trying to walk away from all the action and didn't want anything to do with our dance party. I ran over and talked to the girl and her counselor and tried to offer some comfort. We eventually got her to calm down, but she was more than ready for bed time when it finally rolled around. Little did I know, that was only the beginning.
Tuesday came with lightning fast speed. We were up and moving with so much energy! I loved watching our staff fall in love with our campers. Such sweetness oozed from everywhere! My day was filled with jumping from activity to activity, taking pictures, and just enjoying my campers. At nap time, Eddie and I met in the office to begin our office part of our job. Planning for the next week, cabin assignments, and smoothing out the details of the current week. Eddie and I looked at each other frequently this week and said "I forgot how much work we do!" it was funny to feel like we made progress in our work only to remember we had to do something else before we were done. haha. But I must say, neither one of us would trade our jobs for anything in the world. We both adore our jobs. The longer we sat there working, the less focused we both became and neither of us were making very good head-way with our cabin assignments. Just when I thought I had regained my focus and was doing well, I saw one of my girls (counselor) running toward the office. When she reached the door, it flew open long enough for her to say that one of our campers was having a seizure. I grabbed my radio and took off running for her cabin. As I sprinted toward her cabin I radioed for our awesome EMT, Shawn, to meet me there. When I arrived the seizure was over and the camper was sleeping hard. (Normal after a grand mal seizure.) Shawn checked her vitals and everything checked out fine. I praised me counselors for their level headed thinking and reminded them of the procedure for the next couple of hours. Little did I know it was only the beginning of my long distance sprinting of the week.
I walked back to the office to sit down and continue working, when not long after, two guests walked into the office asking for a tour. Eddie and I looked at each other and knew our work for the afternoon was over. There was no way we would finish. So we gave the tour and thanked them for coming and closed up the our work in the office and headed to afternoon canteen. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with our campers and at dinner we headed to the dinning hall. During dinner I paid close attention to the young lady that had struggled with her anxiety the night before. She was struggling again and I along with her counselor tried to work her through her anxiety. It was eventually decided that I would call her mom to ask for any helpful hints on how to help her. The camper was able to speak to her mother briefly and it seemed to help some. The rest of the night she seemed to calm down and have a better time. Little did I realize it was still only the beginning of phone calls to home.
After dinner we headed up to play canteen bingo and then up to our camp fire time in the woods. As we sat around the camp fire I looked around at our campers and counselors and my heart swelled with pride. I loved being with them. As I sat with Eddie and one of our Administrators we talked and laughed and sang enjoying our time with each other. I looked up at one point to see the same counselor that came running for me in the office that afternoon, come running through the woods. My attention snapped into emergency mode knowing intuitively that something was wrong. As soon as she had my eyes she motioned for me to come and I heard something about a seizure.I knew exactly whom she was talking about and I didn't wait for another second. I took off sprinting after her out of the woods and down the camp property. Halfway to the cabin I could hear several sets of feet behind me. I dared not turn around for fear I would lose my pace and slow down (I was already having trouble running that far that fast as it was) When I reached the courtyard out side the cabin I allowed myself to slow down knowing if I didn't start calming my heart rate down before I entered the cabin it was likely I wouldn't think straight. I went straight for the campers bed and found yet again she was sleeping hard. I turned to find our EMT, right behind me, the lead counselor of the cabin behind him and two of our camp administrators. When we determined everything was fine, we talked about what the plan needed to be. It is very unusual for this camper to have two seizures in one day and especially at camp. We called her home and they decided to come pick her up so they could make sure she was OK. So we gathered her things and when she came to, we took her to the office to wait on her home to come. As we waited, Eddie joined me in the office and we attempted to finish the cabin assignments we didn't finish earlier that day. Little did I know it was only the beginning of many interruptions. I soon had another female camper come to the med tech room complaining about a bad headache and saying it was going to turn into a migraine soon. We watched her closely for a few minutes and I went back and forth between talking to her and keeping an eye on my sweet lady who was waiting to go home. She was so disappointed about going home. I felt disappointed for her too. A few minutes later another camper came to the office complaining that his arm wouldn't quit shaking. I ran and got Eddie who had just left and was so thankful he took over this situation. By now the home finally arrived to pick up my sweet lady to take her home. I helped them load her up and kissed her goodbye.
I walked back into the med room to check on my other camper and spoke with Shawn about her symptoms. We both agreed that though she might have a headache there were some inconsistencies that she might not be feeling as bad as she said she did. We were both ready to send her back to her cabin to sleep when we were told that she would be sleeping in the med tech room for the night and I would join her. So i grabbed my stuff and joined her in the med room to sleep. We fell asleep around midnight and I woke up every hour on the hour out of instinct to check on her. It felt like such a long night. In the morning Shawn came in to check on her and she said she felt a little better and I walked her back to her cabin. I ran to my apartment to change and get ready for the day. Praying that there would be less action that day than there had been the day before... it was only Wednesday and it felt like it should have been Friday.
After breakfast we found that my camper who had been struggling with anxiety all week was no longer doing as well as she had been the night before. All the tricks we tried to use were no longer working. By now she was crying nonstop and every so often was trying to make herself throw up. She spent the morning the in the med tech room as we tried to help her calm down. We called her mom who tried to help console her, but not even that was working any more. We spent most of the morning in the med tech room until we thought we had her calm and tried to get her out and about again. It didn't last long. After a couple more phone calls, it was determined that she was going home. It wasn't fair to make her this upset and force her to stay when she didn't want to.
After lunch I ran to the office to do a few things and then decided to take a power nap before the evening activities. I kept my radio close praying that everything would be smooth and nothing would happen. I had gotten to the point where if I heard Shawn's name on the radio, I cringed knowing my name was probably next.... most of the time it was. I think our female campers liked having him around. We had to run to a lot of calls together this week... I managed to doze lightly for about an hour before I needed to be up for canteen.
I walked up the hill and hung out with my campers and my counselors. Things seemed to smooth out and I began thinking everything was going to be smooth for the rest of the week until I heard "Shawn to Lauren..." come over my radio. So much for that thought! Shawn asked me to come to the med tech room to check on a camper. Little did I know it was only the beginning of a line of campers for the next hour. I tried to help determine what needed to be done as campers came in complaining of stomach aches, scraped knees, and wouldn't you know it, the same camper from the night before coming in complaining about another migraine. Shawn looked at me after she came in and laid down on one of the beds and admitted that he had promised to check on her before dinner and had forgotten. I teased him that it was his fault she was back... she only wanted to see him. He laughed as he pulled her information and called her mom for advice on what to do for her migraines. When we had the information, we flew into doing what her mom had said and adjusted some of her medication for the rest of the week. And wouldn't you know it, she was better in no time. (literally) By this time, everything seemed to be calming down. Eddie called me on the radio to see if I was available to come help with a game that we were playing camp wide. It was nice to get out of the med room for a while!! Eddie and I wrapped up a game that everyone had been playing called "Gold Rush" Cabins went around camp looking for gold and then traded the gold for money. That's where Eddie and I came in. Eddie auctioned off different prizes and I was the "lovely assistant". He wore a sombrero and became "Edwardo" and I became "Lorraina". We had a good time auctioning off all the secret prizes. We began wrapping up the evening and everyone was headed back to their cabins. As I walked to the cabins to check on my girls and help where I could, I reminded Shawn to be sure to check on our camper with the migraines before she showed up in the med room again and teased him that I preferred to sleep in my own apartment. We parted ways and a few min later I heard Shawn's name called over the radio. "Oh no" I thought. I waited for my name too, but only heard that he was headed to one of my girl cabins. I didn't wait this time I just took off running. This time it was one of my most favorite campers of all times. One who had not been back in 4 years. We were concerned with some swelling in her legs (she is wheelchair bound) and she seemed to zone out a few times and things just didn't seem normal. Shawn being the awesome EMT jumped on the situation right away and it was soon decided that she needed to head to the ER. Shawn did everything in his power to make everything as smooth as possible and even managed to get two of the best on his crew to come up to camp. As we waited on the ambulance to come I ran to grab somethings from my apartment knowing I would go with her. One of our program staff also flew into the action and got ready to follow in a camp car so that I would have a way to get back to camp. As I ran to my apartment I notified Eddie that I was leaving and a few minutes later he met me in the office. I cannot tell you the sicking feeling it is to know you have to rush a camper to the hospital. Especially when they are near and dear to your heart. The pain must have been obvious on my face because Eddie put an arm around my shoulders in comfort and offered to refill my water bottle before I left. We talked for a few minutes as I unnecessarily reminded him to listen out for my girls if they were to need me in the night and I wasn't back yet. I knew I didn't need to say it because we're so used to just doing it naturally when cases like this arise but it made me feel better knowing we had at least talked about it. Eddie returned the favor by explaining to me that under no circumstances was I to get up early the next morning after getting back from the ER. He had it under control and I needed to sleep in. I gave him one of my "I hear you..." looks and mumbled something about "yeah right". So he asked for me to hand over my Cabin Clean Up Score sheets to prove how serious he was. I knew he was right. I would need the sleep when I got back. But there was something about it that made me feel I was sending the message that I wasn't available to my girls should they need me. I don't like that thought. I knew in my heart I'd be up and going about the normal time anyway.
I grabbed the papers I needed for the EMTs, and headed out the door. It wasn't long when the ambulance arrived. We climbed in and began taking off. Unfortunately we had to go all the way into Greenville since the local ER wouldn't see us. I rode the whole time talking to my sweet lady and loving on her. By nature she always says thank you for everything and says I'm sorry just as often. The whole way to the ER I told her over and over again that she had nothing to be sorry for and that I loved being able to take care of her. My sweet lady. We talked about camp some and at one point as I sat holding her hand I asked her, "What was your favorite thing this week?" she looked at me and smiled and said "Talking to you." It took everything in my power to hold back the tears. It wasn't the first time this week she made me cry. On Monday night I helped her counselors figure out how to get her into a bunk bed. After a few minutes of trying, crawling into the bunk with her, we finally figured it out. As I sat at the foot of her bed helping her get situated right, she kept our conversation rolling. She began telling me she loved me. To which I replied that I loved her so much. We went back and forth "battling" over who loved whom more when she said, "I love you to God and back." It took my breath away as I realized how much she wanted me to see. Her next phrase was, "I've seen Him you know. Twice." This woman whose disabilities were the result of a car accident was trying to get me to see her as a woman with disabilities. Not a disabled woman. There are times we forget our campers are more physically handicapped than they are mentally. I asked her what He looked like. She said "Oh He is so beautiful. He was smiling on me." As I crawled out of her bed that night tears streamed down my face. What a beautiful woman she was. I loved on her as I said goodnight to her and praised my God for allowing me to see Him through her. My mind flashed back to that memory as I watched her in that ambulance. We got to the hospital and got checked in. I praise my Father for allowing the whole situation to go smoother than butter. Her sister came not long after and when I felt everything was under control I left to head back to camp. Giving this amazing woman a huge hug and thanking her sister for allowing us to be apart of her life.
We arrived back at camp around 2 am. I was exhausted. I climbed into bed around 2:30 and slept until my alarm went off at 6:30. I hit the snooze button for just a few more minutes when I had every intention of getting up on time. A minute later I opened my eyes to find that it was 7:30. Oops. I laid there for a few more minutes- not really falling back asleep but yet not exactly awake. I looked at the clock again and found it to be 8:30. This time I really did need to get up. Camp was in the middle of breakfast and it was really the best time to be up. I needed my girls to know I was up and available. I grabbed my K-cup of dark coffee and headed for the dinning hall. I walked in and was met with smiles from my friends and a look from one of my admins who told me to go back to bed. I smiled and said that I was awake and needed to be up. I got a doubtful look in return and turned to find Eddie to see how the night had gone and an update on what still needed to be done that morning. He explained everything was fine and had been during the night. He asked how I felt and if I was tired. I answered yes and he told me to go back to bed. I told him it was too late and I was up. There was no point in going back to bed- besides I wanted my girls to know I was up and available. He smiled in understanding and let the matter drop. I grabbed my coffee and we flew into the days events. As I sat in the med room helping with morning meds, drinking my coffee and still trying to wake up fully, I received several laughs from my campers with their funny antics and knew I was thankful that I was up and thankful for a staff family that looked out for my needs too. I felt very loved and blessed.
The day went smoothly and without a hitch. Eddie and I finished up our work in the office with lightning fast speed. Grabbed a snack from canteen and headed back to the office for final preparations on the big Talent Show event that night. I was so thankful for a low key day. Only one call over the radio for me and Shawn. Another migraine was coming on from the same camper as before- a fire we quickly put out and had fixed before it could get too bad. I looked at Shawn as we walked away and asked if he had checked on her that day. I was met with a guilty smile that said "oops." I laughed as we walked to the office.
It was a long week. Hard even. I hated having to send my campers home, but yet knew I was doing what was best for them. I was ready to see my mom. I knew her surgery had gone well and everything was fine, but there was still something about seeing her that I needed.
I made it through my week not in my strength but my Fathers. In my weak moments I found myself not pulling my strength from Him. But I was amazed how I was able to get through my day when I refocused my source of strength. I slept hard last night and slept until 9:30 this morning. Something that I haven't done in forever. It felt so good. Already I feel re-energized and ready for week two to come. I can't wait to get back to my life in Paradise!!!
So as I continue telling you about my week, let me preface by saying, if anything sounds negative, please understand my heart, I adore my job and I cannot wait to return to it on Monday. It was a long hard week from my perspective but yet so much good has happened so bear with me and follow me from the negative to the positive.
Monday morning came and everyone was so pumped. I was so excited to get my week started and to share my amazing friends (the campers) with my amazing family (the staff). I knew we'd all hit it off well! I'm thankful to say that the day and night went so well. As the night was winding down I saw one of our campers was getting pretty agitated and realized her anxiety was kicking in. The camper was trying to walk away from all the action and didn't want anything to do with our dance party. I ran over and talked to the girl and her counselor and tried to offer some comfort. We eventually got her to calm down, but she was more than ready for bed time when it finally rolled around. Little did I know, that was only the beginning.
Tuesday came with lightning fast speed. We were up and moving with so much energy! I loved watching our staff fall in love with our campers. Such sweetness oozed from everywhere! My day was filled with jumping from activity to activity, taking pictures, and just enjoying my campers. At nap time, Eddie and I met in the office to begin our office part of our job. Planning for the next week, cabin assignments, and smoothing out the details of the current week. Eddie and I looked at each other frequently this week and said "I forgot how much work we do!" it was funny to feel like we made progress in our work only to remember we had to do something else before we were done. haha. But I must say, neither one of us would trade our jobs for anything in the world. We both adore our jobs. The longer we sat there working, the less focused we both became and neither of us were making very good head-way with our cabin assignments. Just when I thought I had regained my focus and was doing well, I saw one of my girls (counselor) running toward the office. When she reached the door, it flew open long enough for her to say that one of our campers was having a seizure. I grabbed my radio and took off running for her cabin. As I sprinted toward her cabin I radioed for our awesome EMT, Shawn, to meet me there. When I arrived the seizure was over and the camper was sleeping hard. (Normal after a grand mal seizure.) Shawn checked her vitals and everything checked out fine. I praised me counselors for their level headed thinking and reminded them of the procedure for the next couple of hours. Little did I know it was only the beginning of my long distance sprinting of the week.
I walked back to the office to sit down and continue working, when not long after, two guests walked into the office asking for a tour. Eddie and I looked at each other and knew our work for the afternoon was over. There was no way we would finish. So we gave the tour and thanked them for coming and closed up the our work in the office and headed to afternoon canteen. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with our campers and at dinner we headed to the dinning hall. During dinner I paid close attention to the young lady that had struggled with her anxiety the night before. She was struggling again and I along with her counselor tried to work her through her anxiety. It was eventually decided that I would call her mom to ask for any helpful hints on how to help her. The camper was able to speak to her mother briefly and it seemed to help some. The rest of the night she seemed to calm down and have a better time. Little did I realize it was still only the beginning of phone calls to home.
After dinner we headed up to play canteen bingo and then up to our camp fire time in the woods. As we sat around the camp fire I looked around at our campers and counselors and my heart swelled with pride. I loved being with them. As I sat with Eddie and one of our Administrators we talked and laughed and sang enjoying our time with each other. I looked up at one point to see the same counselor that came running for me in the office that afternoon, come running through the woods. My attention snapped into emergency mode knowing intuitively that something was wrong. As soon as she had my eyes she motioned for me to come and I heard something about a seizure.I knew exactly whom she was talking about and I didn't wait for another second. I took off sprinting after her out of the woods and down the camp property. Halfway to the cabin I could hear several sets of feet behind me. I dared not turn around for fear I would lose my pace and slow down (I was already having trouble running that far that fast as it was) When I reached the courtyard out side the cabin I allowed myself to slow down knowing if I didn't start calming my heart rate down before I entered the cabin it was likely I wouldn't think straight. I went straight for the campers bed and found yet again she was sleeping hard. I turned to find our EMT, right behind me, the lead counselor of the cabin behind him and two of our camp administrators. When we determined everything was fine, we talked about what the plan needed to be. It is very unusual for this camper to have two seizures in one day and especially at camp. We called her home and they decided to come pick her up so they could make sure she was OK. So we gathered her things and when she came to, we took her to the office to wait on her home to come. As we waited, Eddie joined me in the office and we attempted to finish the cabin assignments we didn't finish earlier that day. Little did I know it was only the beginning of many interruptions. I soon had another female camper come to the med tech room complaining about a bad headache and saying it was going to turn into a migraine soon. We watched her closely for a few minutes and I went back and forth between talking to her and keeping an eye on my sweet lady who was waiting to go home. She was so disappointed about going home. I felt disappointed for her too. A few minutes later another camper came to the office complaining that his arm wouldn't quit shaking. I ran and got Eddie who had just left and was so thankful he took over this situation. By now the home finally arrived to pick up my sweet lady to take her home. I helped them load her up and kissed her goodbye.
I walked back into the med room to check on my other camper and spoke with Shawn about her symptoms. We both agreed that though she might have a headache there were some inconsistencies that she might not be feeling as bad as she said she did. We were both ready to send her back to her cabin to sleep when we were told that she would be sleeping in the med tech room for the night and I would join her. So i grabbed my stuff and joined her in the med room to sleep. We fell asleep around midnight and I woke up every hour on the hour out of instinct to check on her. It felt like such a long night. In the morning Shawn came in to check on her and she said she felt a little better and I walked her back to her cabin. I ran to my apartment to change and get ready for the day. Praying that there would be less action that day than there had been the day before... it was only Wednesday and it felt like it should have been Friday.
After breakfast we found that my camper who had been struggling with anxiety all week was no longer doing as well as she had been the night before. All the tricks we tried to use were no longer working. By now she was crying nonstop and every so often was trying to make herself throw up. She spent the morning the in the med tech room as we tried to help her calm down. We called her mom who tried to help console her, but not even that was working any more. We spent most of the morning in the med tech room until we thought we had her calm and tried to get her out and about again. It didn't last long. After a couple more phone calls, it was determined that she was going home. It wasn't fair to make her this upset and force her to stay when she didn't want to.
After lunch I ran to the office to do a few things and then decided to take a power nap before the evening activities. I kept my radio close praying that everything would be smooth and nothing would happen. I had gotten to the point where if I heard Shawn's name on the radio, I cringed knowing my name was probably next.... most of the time it was. I think our female campers liked having him around. We had to run to a lot of calls together this week... I managed to doze lightly for about an hour before I needed to be up for canteen.
I walked up the hill and hung out with my campers and my counselors. Things seemed to smooth out and I began thinking everything was going to be smooth for the rest of the week until I heard "Shawn to Lauren..." come over my radio. So much for that thought! Shawn asked me to come to the med tech room to check on a camper. Little did I know it was only the beginning of a line of campers for the next hour. I tried to help determine what needed to be done as campers came in complaining of stomach aches, scraped knees, and wouldn't you know it, the same camper from the night before coming in complaining about another migraine. Shawn looked at me after she came in and laid down on one of the beds and admitted that he had promised to check on her before dinner and had forgotten. I teased him that it was his fault she was back... she only wanted to see him. He laughed as he pulled her information and called her mom for advice on what to do for her migraines. When we had the information, we flew into doing what her mom had said and adjusted some of her medication for the rest of the week. And wouldn't you know it, she was better in no time. (literally) By this time, everything seemed to be calming down. Eddie called me on the radio to see if I was available to come help with a game that we were playing camp wide. It was nice to get out of the med room for a while!! Eddie and I wrapped up a game that everyone had been playing called "Gold Rush" Cabins went around camp looking for gold and then traded the gold for money. That's where Eddie and I came in. Eddie auctioned off different prizes and I was the "lovely assistant". He wore a sombrero and became "Edwardo" and I became "Lorraina". We had a good time auctioning off all the secret prizes. We began wrapping up the evening and everyone was headed back to their cabins. As I walked to the cabins to check on my girls and help where I could, I reminded Shawn to be sure to check on our camper with the migraines before she showed up in the med room again and teased him that I preferred to sleep in my own apartment. We parted ways and a few min later I heard Shawn's name called over the radio. "Oh no" I thought. I waited for my name too, but only heard that he was headed to one of my girl cabins. I didn't wait this time I just took off running. This time it was one of my most favorite campers of all times. One who had not been back in 4 years. We were concerned with some swelling in her legs (she is wheelchair bound) and she seemed to zone out a few times and things just didn't seem normal. Shawn being the awesome EMT jumped on the situation right away and it was soon decided that she needed to head to the ER. Shawn did everything in his power to make everything as smooth as possible and even managed to get two of the best on his crew to come up to camp. As we waited on the ambulance to come I ran to grab somethings from my apartment knowing I would go with her. One of our program staff also flew into the action and got ready to follow in a camp car so that I would have a way to get back to camp. As I ran to my apartment I notified Eddie that I was leaving and a few minutes later he met me in the office. I cannot tell you the sicking feeling it is to know you have to rush a camper to the hospital. Especially when they are near and dear to your heart. The pain must have been obvious on my face because Eddie put an arm around my shoulders in comfort and offered to refill my water bottle before I left. We talked for a few minutes as I unnecessarily reminded him to listen out for my girls if they were to need me in the night and I wasn't back yet. I knew I didn't need to say it because we're so used to just doing it naturally when cases like this arise but it made me feel better knowing we had at least talked about it. Eddie returned the favor by explaining to me that under no circumstances was I to get up early the next morning after getting back from the ER. He had it under control and I needed to sleep in. I gave him one of my "I hear you..." looks and mumbled something about "yeah right". So he asked for me to hand over my Cabin Clean Up Score sheets to prove how serious he was. I knew he was right. I would need the sleep when I got back. But there was something about it that made me feel I was sending the message that I wasn't available to my girls should they need me. I don't like that thought. I knew in my heart I'd be up and going about the normal time anyway.
I grabbed the papers I needed for the EMTs, and headed out the door. It wasn't long when the ambulance arrived. We climbed in and began taking off. Unfortunately we had to go all the way into Greenville since the local ER wouldn't see us. I rode the whole time talking to my sweet lady and loving on her. By nature she always says thank you for everything and says I'm sorry just as often. The whole way to the ER I told her over and over again that she had nothing to be sorry for and that I loved being able to take care of her. My sweet lady. We talked about camp some and at one point as I sat holding her hand I asked her, "What was your favorite thing this week?" she looked at me and smiled and said "Talking to you." It took everything in my power to hold back the tears. It wasn't the first time this week she made me cry. On Monday night I helped her counselors figure out how to get her into a bunk bed. After a few minutes of trying, crawling into the bunk with her, we finally figured it out. As I sat at the foot of her bed helping her get situated right, she kept our conversation rolling. She began telling me she loved me. To which I replied that I loved her so much. We went back and forth "battling" over who loved whom more when she said, "I love you to God and back." It took my breath away as I realized how much she wanted me to see. Her next phrase was, "I've seen Him you know. Twice." This woman whose disabilities were the result of a car accident was trying to get me to see her as a woman with disabilities. Not a disabled woman. There are times we forget our campers are more physically handicapped than they are mentally. I asked her what He looked like. She said "Oh He is so beautiful. He was smiling on me." As I crawled out of her bed that night tears streamed down my face. What a beautiful woman she was. I loved on her as I said goodnight to her and praised my God for allowing me to see Him through her. My mind flashed back to that memory as I watched her in that ambulance. We got to the hospital and got checked in. I praise my Father for allowing the whole situation to go smoother than butter. Her sister came not long after and when I felt everything was under control I left to head back to camp. Giving this amazing woman a huge hug and thanking her sister for allowing us to be apart of her life.
We arrived back at camp around 2 am. I was exhausted. I climbed into bed around 2:30 and slept until my alarm went off at 6:30. I hit the snooze button for just a few more minutes when I had every intention of getting up on time. A minute later I opened my eyes to find that it was 7:30. Oops. I laid there for a few more minutes- not really falling back asleep but yet not exactly awake. I looked at the clock again and found it to be 8:30. This time I really did need to get up. Camp was in the middle of breakfast and it was really the best time to be up. I needed my girls to know I was up and available. I grabbed my K-cup of dark coffee and headed for the dinning hall. I walked in and was met with smiles from my friends and a look from one of my admins who told me to go back to bed. I smiled and said that I was awake and needed to be up. I got a doubtful look in return and turned to find Eddie to see how the night had gone and an update on what still needed to be done that morning. He explained everything was fine and had been during the night. He asked how I felt and if I was tired. I answered yes and he told me to go back to bed. I told him it was too late and I was up. There was no point in going back to bed- besides I wanted my girls to know I was up and available. He smiled in understanding and let the matter drop. I grabbed my coffee and we flew into the days events. As I sat in the med room helping with morning meds, drinking my coffee and still trying to wake up fully, I received several laughs from my campers with their funny antics and knew I was thankful that I was up and thankful for a staff family that looked out for my needs too. I felt very loved and blessed.
The day went smoothly and without a hitch. Eddie and I finished up our work in the office with lightning fast speed. Grabbed a snack from canteen and headed back to the office for final preparations on the big Talent Show event that night. I was so thankful for a low key day. Only one call over the radio for me and Shawn. Another migraine was coming on from the same camper as before- a fire we quickly put out and had fixed before it could get too bad. I looked at Shawn as we walked away and asked if he had checked on her that day. I was met with a guilty smile that said "oops." I laughed as we walked to the office.
It was a long week. Hard even. I hated having to send my campers home, but yet knew I was doing what was best for them. I was ready to see my mom. I knew her surgery had gone well and everything was fine, but there was still something about seeing her that I needed.
I made it through my week not in my strength but my Fathers. In my weak moments I found myself not pulling my strength from Him. But I was amazed how I was able to get through my day when I refocused my source of strength. I slept hard last night and slept until 9:30 this morning. Something that I haven't done in forever. It felt so good. Already I feel re-energized and ready for week two to come. I can't wait to get back to my life in Paradise!!!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Timeless
What a week! So full and busy! So crazy and fun! I still can't believe its time to be back again. Man how I've missed it!! This year feels different though. In the 60+ staff this year, only about 15 of us are returning. The other 45 are all brand new staff members. Yes, its a big turnover year. I've never experienced a turnover year this big before. Its been an interesting adventure this week getting to know everyone and trying to help everyone understand the scope of what their job entails this summer. I proudly say though, everyone is excited and cannot wait until campers arrive tomorrow morning. I'm excited about this group of staff this year. Everyone is excited, fun to be around, and easy to get along with. Its going to be an amazing summer.
This week Eddie and I were able to lead some of the training sessions. I enjoyed being able to be that involved with training week. On Wednesday he and I were able to sit down with our counselors and really focus on the family that we become over a summer. It happens every year. We explained to them how much we already cared a lot about them and were excited that they would give their summer to our population of campers. We momentarily touched on the hardship we faced this past off season as we lost not only 3 campers but also a very close and dear staff member, we explained that they didn't understand the scope of that pain yet, but one day they would understand and we hoped we wouldn't face that day any time soon. I think the loss of this past off season hit all of us so hard that now we band together even tighter. I feel it with each passing day.
On Thursday our administrators took us on a field trip- back to the beginning of camp. They took us to Paris Mtn. State Park to the very shelter that Spearhead first began. It was overwhelming at first. We had a special speaker come (one of the original counselors from the Paris Mtn. days) it was so cool. She talked about specific campers and all the returning staff laughed as she described them and we all affirmed they were still the same. Some of them she didn't even have to say their name and we knew exactly who she was talking about. It was as if she was describing the Spearhead we know today- but yet she was describing Spearhead in the 70s. It hit me, Spearhead is timeless. yes, faces come and go, both camper and counselor, but all in all, its still the same place, with the same mission. Wow was all I could think for a while. What an amazing place Spearhead is! And what an amazing joy I have to be able to be apart of it!!!
After our special speaker that night, we watched the video that Eddie and I (mostly Eddie) worked on for this week. We wanted them to see this place we call Spearhead and what an amazing place it is. Throughout the video Eddie weaved pictures of our lost campers and staff member. It was a joy to remember them in those wonderful moments of years past. But it hit me like a ton of bricks the loss we have had. I sat there in tears as the video closed. I could hear sniffling around me so I knew I wasn't alone. Someone offered to go on a hike and almost all the new staff were up and gone in an instant. I sat there and then looked around. Only returning staff remained tears streaming down our faces. For a while we stood and clung to each other crying and forcing ourselves to move on past the feeling of loss. When we finally thought we had sucked it up and tried to carry on, we joined the others in various activities. When we got back to camp we played a trivia game and then closed down for the night. Before we did though, we all gathered around the tree that was planted in Cliff's honor in the middle of our drive way to sing our goodnight song. I looked around at the people holding hands around me as I sang and again felt the loss of our Cliff. How I miss him to this day. As we ended the song, the returning staff yet again found our way to each other and cried some more. His loss will forever be huge in our hearts.
This week is a week of happiness though! I am excited to get these campers on camp!!!! I cannot wait to see them. Its a great week of campers. A bunch of my older ladies are coming that are so near and dear to my heart!! I cannot wait to see them!!!! Pray for us as we get started!! Its overwhelming when its your first year. Can't wait to get this party in paradise started!!!! See you on the weekend!!!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
A New Journey!!
I've been dying to get my hands back on my blog for months! But thanks to an incredibly busy schedule, finding time to write consistently was next to impossible. However, today officially starts my summer! I am headed to my home away from home to begin a new summer with my camp family! I love staff training week. We have a lot of new staff this year and I'm excited to get to know them and watch them grow this summer.
This past Friday I said goodbye to my students for the summer. Man my heart breaks to leave them. I am so thankful for the school year that I have had with them. Such an incredible class of children but oh how I love their families as well! I haven't bonded this closely to so many families in my three years of teaching. They all have been so supportive and encouraging this school year. There was a lot going on and many changes. How thankful I am for a group of families that have loved me through each day and always saw the best in me. I have been so richly blessed beyond description! I'm going to miss them so much this summer!OK, enough tears!!!
This past 9 months have been some of the hardest months I've gone through in a long time. God has stretched me and pulled me in so many ways that I thought I couldn't go. I have lost a camp brother to suicide, 3 campers to various types of death. All of them sudden and unexpected. My life has not gone as I planned or how I necessarily wanted. But I am walking into my summer more in awe and more in love with my God than ever before. I haven't always had the right attitude about the circumstances in my life, but there is one thing I know. My God sees the whole picture. I see only a part. I am His creation and He is molding me and the life around me into what I need to be. A friend once told me, everyday when she walks into her classroom and sits down behind her desk before her day starts, she sits and prays, "God I anxiously await your presence today." i was so convicted. How many days do I get up and not look for Him around me in my day? Way more often than I want to admit to you. I have that quote written down and it lays on my desk. Every day I look at it and read it and pray the same thing. I'm ready for new summer. It is a new beginning and its going to be one of the best!!! My God is already there waiting on me to discover it. I am so excited that He is joining me on my summer journey through paradise! I cannot wait to see His presence everywhere!
So here I go into my new journey! I cannot wait to drive to camp! I leave in only 15 min!! This drive is always a favorite. It takes an hour, but once I hit that last stretch just before I arrive at camp, adrenaline kicks in and I can barely contain my excitement! Hope I don't scare the new people away!! I cannot wait to tell you about our new adventures this week with our new friends!! I'm so excited! Thanks for joining me and my God on my awesome journey through paradise!
This past Friday I said goodbye to my students for the summer. Man my heart breaks to leave them. I am so thankful for the school year that I have had with them. Such an incredible class of children but oh how I love their families as well! I haven't bonded this closely to so many families in my three years of teaching. They all have been so supportive and encouraging this school year. There was a lot going on and many changes. How thankful I am for a group of families that have loved me through each day and always saw the best in me. I have been so richly blessed beyond description! I'm going to miss them so much this summer!OK, enough tears!!!
This past 9 months have been some of the hardest months I've gone through in a long time. God has stretched me and pulled me in so many ways that I thought I couldn't go. I have lost a camp brother to suicide, 3 campers to various types of death. All of them sudden and unexpected. My life has not gone as I planned or how I necessarily wanted. But I am walking into my summer more in awe and more in love with my God than ever before. I haven't always had the right attitude about the circumstances in my life, but there is one thing I know. My God sees the whole picture. I see only a part. I am His creation and He is molding me and the life around me into what I need to be. A friend once told me, everyday when she walks into her classroom and sits down behind her desk before her day starts, she sits and prays, "God I anxiously await your presence today." i was so convicted. How many days do I get up and not look for Him around me in my day? Way more often than I want to admit to you. I have that quote written down and it lays on my desk. Every day I look at it and read it and pray the same thing. I'm ready for new summer. It is a new beginning and its going to be one of the best!!! My God is already there waiting on me to discover it. I am so excited that He is joining me on my summer journey through paradise! I cannot wait to see His presence everywhere!
So here I go into my new journey! I cannot wait to drive to camp! I leave in only 15 min!! This drive is always a favorite. It takes an hour, but once I hit that last stretch just before I arrive at camp, adrenaline kicks in and I can barely contain my excitement! Hope I don't scare the new people away!! I cannot wait to tell you about our new adventures this week with our new friends!! I'm so excited! Thanks for joining me and my God on my awesome journey through paradise!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
You're Gonna Miss This
Its hard to believe that I've been away from camp for a week already and tomorrow I jump back into my school year job as a preschool teacher. I was able to spend the last week at the beach with my family. I love the beach and I enjoyed my time there. Relaxed a bit and deepend my summer tan. Although I really do miss the zig-zag tan I had on my foot thanks to my Chacos.
I think the beach is very therapeutic in several aspects. I love laying on the beach listening to the waves crash into shore. I love the smell of the sea air and even the taste of the ocean water. Its very calming and for me triggers long periods of time for thinking. I did a lot of thinking this past week, and after just ending camp it was just what I needed. Time to put all my thoughts from the summer or about the summer away and prepare for getting back into the groove of school. There was a realization that I came to, one that I've known all along, but finally accepted it I guess. Camp is not a settling ground. As much as I would love for it to be, it can't be. It is merely a temporary stop in life. For me it was a 4 year stop. For others its longer, and for some, shorter. I wanted this summer to last forever. I wanted camp to be a year round thing and just continue rotating through my campers. Camp has taught me much over the years. God has brought me unexpected friends into my life and turned people whom I couldn't stand or get along with into my best friends.
I guess its a protective thing for me. As long as I am there, I know my campers are getting the best love and care that they can. Some are from group homes that don't show them much love so its very important that when they arrive at camp they are loved beyond what they know to do with. If I'm not there, how will I know they are being loved and cared for? I realized this week, I know they will continue to be loved and properly taken care of because I've watched the best of the best counselors come through and train me to love and care for this population in the best ways. Through their training, I learned how to train those behind me. Its a chain reaction at camp. You are trained through experience and through the friendship of coworkers. Once it is time for some to move on, those who are left behind train those coming in. I've been trained by the best. I've learned so much by the people I've worked with for the last 3 years. Our campers will never lack love at camp. It will always be there. I just wish I could be apart of it forever.
There's a country song that's played in my heart since the last morning of camp and the chorus seems to match just perfectly.
I think the beach is very therapeutic in several aspects. I love laying on the beach listening to the waves crash into shore. I love the smell of the sea air and even the taste of the ocean water. Its very calming and for me triggers long periods of time for thinking. I did a lot of thinking this past week, and after just ending camp it was just what I needed. Time to put all my thoughts from the summer or about the summer away and prepare for getting back into the groove of school. There was a realization that I came to, one that I've known all along, but finally accepted it I guess. Camp is not a settling ground. As much as I would love for it to be, it can't be. It is merely a temporary stop in life. For me it was a 4 year stop. For others its longer, and for some, shorter. I wanted this summer to last forever. I wanted camp to be a year round thing and just continue rotating through my campers. Camp has taught me much over the years. God has brought me unexpected friends into my life and turned people whom I couldn't stand or get along with into my best friends.
I guess its a protective thing for me. As long as I am there, I know my campers are getting the best love and care that they can. Some are from group homes that don't show them much love so its very important that when they arrive at camp they are loved beyond what they know to do with. If I'm not there, how will I know they are being loved and cared for? I realized this week, I know they will continue to be loved and properly taken care of because I've watched the best of the best counselors come through and train me to love and care for this population in the best ways. Through their training, I learned how to train those behind me. Its a chain reaction at camp. You are trained through experience and through the friendship of coworkers. Once it is time for some to move on, those who are left behind train those coming in. I've been trained by the best. I've learned so much by the people I've worked with for the last 3 years. Our campers will never lack love at camp. It will always be there. I just wish I could be apart of it forever.
There's a country song that's played in my heart since the last morning of camp and the chorus seems to match just perfectly.
You're gonna miss this.
You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times.
So take a good look around.
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this.
-Trace Adkins-
And I do. I already miss it and I cherish every moment I had or will have at camp. My campers are my good times. Most of my stories come from them. My favorite memories are from them. They are my life and my joy. They have shaped and molded parts of me into who I am today. I am so thankful for that.
Tomorrow I get back to the daily grind of my day job. I am excited about it. As much as I love camp, I love my job teaching 2 & 3 year olds. They keep my laughing and I see things through different lights because I have their perspective. Its a good age to work with. They tell you how it is and how they see it. I love my job and am excited to get a new group a week from tomorrow. In the mean time I have so much to get done! I feel very overwhelmed at the moment, but I know in God's strength and the amazing help of my co-teacher Alisha, everything will get done. Though my summer in paradise is ending, my life in paradise is beginning. And in someways, continuing. Maybe I should change the name of the blog to "My Life in Paradise".... hmm... we'll see. For now, I am signing off and jumping back into life. Unless you hear otherwise, this is me closing my Summer In Paradise. What an amazing summer it was!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Don't Blink. It Goes By Too Fast
LOVE. This word seemed to be the theme of my week. Everywhere I turned from day to day it almost hit me anew as if I had never looked at things in the perspective of love. One of my greatest joys is watching our staff just let go and hang out with our campers. Monday afternoon when our pool party was canceled and our counselors had to suddenly improvise on activities, a group went off to the field to play football, another to the basketball goal, others to find things to do while hanging out in the cabin. I watched these groups of guys for a moment as I walked back to the office. Everyone of them about to crumble from sweat and pushing themselves very hard in their game. Suddenly I realized, in those moments, everyone was put on the same level and suddenly there were no disabilities just boys having fun. Counselors were letting go and listening to campers call the next play and making sure they did their best to play it to perfection. I realized then that our counselors had found a form of love. Everyone just let go and focused on having fun. My heart swelled with pride over these counselors and with more love than I knew what to do with. That night as a storm passed through and forced our evening activities into our dinning hall, I watched again with pride over our counselors embracing their campers. A good quarter of our campers were brand new this week and I was impressed at how quickly they clicked with their counselors and already had relationships going. I watched as a counselor had his first opportunity to deal with seizures as a camper crumbled 3 times that evening. Each time, leaving a mess to be cleaned and a wound to be mended. Not once did I see a grossed out look from his counselor just pure concern that turned into love as he learned how to better help this camper. As we left our dance party and gathered outside to sing our goodnight song, We noticed a rainbow that almost appeared to hug camp from one side to another-even more exciting was to see a faint double rainbow. Just another reminder of God's love toward us. I love seeing His little reminders at random times in my life. Rainbows are some of the best.
Tuesday was pretty much the normal day for us. It was strange for Eddie and I to be in the office and not having to start cabin assignments for the next week. We took this time in the office to write thank you notes to each of our counselors. After nap time, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with our cabins. The evening was filled with skits and laughter from our Clown Show. Eddie and I prepared several new skits and seemed to be one of our better shows. As we said goodbye to the two clowns that come out every week to do their routines, Eddie and I noticed one of our Program Staff members walk by, something obviously wrong. I ran after him to see what was wrong to find out his grandfather had passed away and he needed to leave ASAP. Blake is our Talent Show organizer so he had a lot of things he had to get done by our Thursday night Talent Show. Without another thought, I immediately volunteered Eddie and I to get it done in his stead. I pulled Eddie aside later to tell him what I had done only to be met with total and full agreement on his part. It was just a way we could show our love toward him. Later that night as Eddie and I pulled a list together of things we needed to get done, I realized our work load had just doubled. I had no clue how we were going to pull off building a set for talent show, organizing the show, as well as finishing things we had to get done besides talent show, but I was ready for a challenge. We worked till midnight on Tuesday just getting as much of a jump start as possible.
Wednesday dawned earlier than I wanted, but I was ready for the day. We rolled up our sleeves and jumped in. We spent most of the morning hanging out with our cabins, but once lunch was over Eddie and I jumped into constructing a ship that would cover the full length of our stage. With the help of Sammie, our camper worker supervisor and another member of our program staff, we built a plank, cannon, mast, huge sail, a large helm and other little things in between. Wednesday afternoon we spent the afternoon painting the ship. My fingers are still slightly black from the paint. We stayed up late that night working on organizing each act and making sure we had music for everyone.
Thursday we jumped in with helping out a few cabins at the challenge course and spending some much needed time with our campers. At times I think being a counselor at Camp Spearhead is therapeutic. Being with my campers can put me at such ease and most of the time, truly relaxed. It was some much needed time with my campers. That afternoon we put the finishing touches on the ship, and finalized the music and organization of the night. Right after dinner we started straight into our camper recognition program. A chance for counselors to present their campers with little awards to celebrate accomplishments made that week or just to appreciate a certain thing about that camper. Once the cabin has received all their awards the campers then have the opportunity to take the mic and say whatever they want. You never know what you'll get which is part of the fun, but last night was something special. Almost every person who spoke into the mic spoke something of love. Whether it was counselor to camper, a camper to a counselor, camper to camper, or camper to camp in general, it had something to do with love. I heard the phrases "Camp Spearhead, you are my second family." "I love camp and can't wait to come back next year. I'm gonna miss this." "This is my home." My heart continued to swell as each camper shared what they loved about camp. I am so proud of our counselors for showing such unconditional love as they have which impacted every camper in the room. It is because of this that camp runs every year. Campers come back because of the love that we show them. Love filled our dinning hall that night. The feeling was beyond words.
I can't believe camp is over. Where did my summer go? I've had the best summer of my life this summer and have truly enjoyed my Paradise at camp. I would be lost without these people in my life. It hit me the other day just how boring life would be if there were no disabilities. I look at some of our campers and momentarily wonder what life would be like without their disabilities. Every time, I shudder at the thought. They wouldn't be the same camper I know. Life would be boring if they didn't have their disabilities. I have thanked God for disabilities more often ever since. He knows what He's doing as each person is created- disabilities or not. This population is my life and my joy. I would truly be lost without them. I wouldn't change them for the world. I LOVE them. They are my paradise.
Tuesday was pretty much the normal day for us. It was strange for Eddie and I to be in the office and not having to start cabin assignments for the next week. We took this time in the office to write thank you notes to each of our counselors. After nap time, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with our cabins. The evening was filled with skits and laughter from our Clown Show. Eddie and I prepared several new skits and seemed to be one of our better shows. As we said goodbye to the two clowns that come out every week to do their routines, Eddie and I noticed one of our Program Staff members walk by, something obviously wrong. I ran after him to see what was wrong to find out his grandfather had passed away and he needed to leave ASAP. Blake is our Talent Show organizer so he had a lot of things he had to get done by our Thursday night Talent Show. Without another thought, I immediately volunteered Eddie and I to get it done in his stead. I pulled Eddie aside later to tell him what I had done only to be met with total and full agreement on his part. It was just a way we could show our love toward him. Later that night as Eddie and I pulled a list together of things we needed to get done, I realized our work load had just doubled. I had no clue how we were going to pull off building a set for talent show, organizing the show, as well as finishing things we had to get done besides talent show, but I was ready for a challenge. We worked till midnight on Tuesday just getting as much of a jump start as possible.
Wednesday dawned earlier than I wanted, but I was ready for the day. We rolled up our sleeves and jumped in. We spent most of the morning hanging out with our cabins, but once lunch was over Eddie and I jumped into constructing a ship that would cover the full length of our stage. With the help of Sammie, our camper worker supervisor and another member of our program staff, we built a plank, cannon, mast, huge sail, a large helm and other little things in between. Wednesday afternoon we spent the afternoon painting the ship. My fingers are still slightly black from the paint. We stayed up late that night working on organizing each act and making sure we had music for everyone.
Thursday we jumped in with helping out a few cabins at the challenge course and spending some much needed time with our campers. At times I think being a counselor at Camp Spearhead is therapeutic. Being with my campers can put me at such ease and most of the time, truly relaxed. It was some much needed time with my campers. That afternoon we put the finishing touches on the ship, and finalized the music and organization of the night. Right after dinner we started straight into our camper recognition program. A chance for counselors to present their campers with little awards to celebrate accomplishments made that week or just to appreciate a certain thing about that camper. Once the cabin has received all their awards the campers then have the opportunity to take the mic and say whatever they want. You never know what you'll get which is part of the fun, but last night was something special. Almost every person who spoke into the mic spoke something of love. Whether it was counselor to camper, a camper to a counselor, camper to camper, or camper to camp in general, it had something to do with love. I heard the phrases "Camp Spearhead, you are my second family." "I love camp and can't wait to come back next year. I'm gonna miss this." "This is my home." My heart continued to swell as each camper shared what they loved about camp. I am so proud of our counselors for showing such unconditional love as they have which impacted every camper in the room. It is because of this that camp runs every year. Campers come back because of the love that we show them. Love filled our dinning hall that night. The feeling was beyond words.
I can't believe camp is over. Where did my summer go? I've had the best summer of my life this summer and have truly enjoyed my Paradise at camp. I would be lost without these people in my life. It hit me the other day just how boring life would be if there were no disabilities. I look at some of our campers and momentarily wonder what life would be like without their disabilities. Every time, I shudder at the thought. They wouldn't be the same camper I know. Life would be boring if they didn't have their disabilities. I have thanked God for disabilities more often ever since. He knows what He's doing as each person is created- disabilities or not. This population is my life and my joy. I would truly be lost without them. I wouldn't change them for the world. I LOVE them. They are my paradise.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Better Call AAA Now....
I can't believe I am about to enter the last week of camp! This summer has truly flown. This past week was filled with last minute rushings trying to finish things out for the summer. Eddie and I were in the office more than usual doing our last cabin assignments of the summer, working on the week's slideshow plus trying to get ready for our staff dinner/party tonight.
The campers were great this week. Though some were a little more high maintenance, I feel the week went really smoothly. We had no major bumps or mishaps! We were full to the brim with literally every bed filled in every cabin!
I loved having my Justin there this week! It was a joy to look around camp and see his smiling face. I knew the staff would love him and was even threatened by several coworkers that Justin would not be able to come home with me because they were going to kidnap him and keep him. If you know Justin at all, you know how true this statement is and you yourself has possibly thought the same thing. He had a great time and had awesome counselors. They took good care of my boy. Justin slept all day the day after he came home. He was worn out! On Tuesday his counselors took him to our Challenge Course where Justin climbed the Taco Net, zip-lined across to another platform, walked across a beam with his counselor, then across a cable back to the original platform. I wish I could have been there to see it. Justin was frightened a few times on the challenge course - which most of you would be too if you saw what you had to do. But my big brother was such a trooper! He listened to his counselor who talked him through everything and kept him calm. What an accomplishment for Justin! Nowhere else does he get the opportunity to do such amazing triumphs! The best part is, he did it! Just another reason my big brother is my number one hero. He may have many challenges in life, but he always comes out smiling and happy. He challenges me on a daily basis. Oh how I love that boy!!
On Wednesday, Eddie, me, and our office assistant Amanda decided we needed to get off camp and out of the office for a break. So during the campers' nap time we took off toward Flat Rock NC for lunch at a local bakery. As we walked toward the parking lot, it was decided that we were going to take Eddie's truck. So all three of us stuffed into the two-seater front seat and took off. Eddie warned us that we were going to have to stop for gas, but it shouldn't take long. So as we were traveling up Hwy 25, we pull off on an exit that said Gas Station. We pull up to the gas station and notice there is no convenience store and something just wasn't quite right. We pulled up to a pump only to find the gas station truly no longer existed. I looked over at Eddie's gas gauge to find that we were in the red zone. We needed gas right then. So we asked a few women who were standing at a chuck wagon that was on the property about where a gas station was. "Eight miles up the highway." was there response. The three of us looked at each other wide eyed- there was no way we had enough gas to get eight miles up the highway. Eight miles was also a lot further up than we needed to go. We took off praying we'd find a gas station somewhere between where we were and the bakery. By this time Amanda and I are dying laughing. This is the grandest adventure we've been on all summer. We started talking about the possibilities- running out of gas on the side of the road and needing someone to come find us and bring us gas. Eddie mentioned he had AAA but that wouldn't help much since it would probably take even longer for them to come to us. I laughed and told him we could call them right then and tell them to head toward us and we'd just keep them updated on our location. We continue laughing about it until we notice that we no longer had phone reception. At that point we all started laughing even harder. Well, Amanda and I were- Eddie didn't quite see the humor we did. I continued to watch the gas gauge and truly, we were about to run out of gas and we almost didn't make it. As we continued down the windy road toward the bakery, we finally see a gas station appear. We just prayed it wasn't shut down too. We pull in and it was up and running!! So Eddie filled the truck and we weren't but 100 yards away from the bakery itself. We had a great time on our adventure and I haven't laughed that hard in a while. We had a good time together getting off and relaxing a bit.
Tonight is our staff dinner. We have a Masquerade theme. We all have a mask and are getting dressed up for an evening of dancing under the stars. I'm looking forward to a great night of spending time with my camp family and being dressed up for once instead of the sweaty, hair in a messy bun, no make-up look. I will post pictures hopefully this weekend.
This week will be interesting. two of my "boyfriends" are returning- Mikey and Brian. I'm sure I'll have stories to tell this weekend. Its going to be an amazing week. I hate that summer is coming to an end, but I am so excited for what this week has in store! Until I post again, I will be enjoying my Summer In Paradise!!!
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