Ch 36

A camp story...

I got a yellow piece of paper in my mailbox, about halfway through the summer, from another counselor. She had copied a section out of a devotional she'd been reading for the staff because the section seemed so applicable to what we were all doing as counselors.

The paper told the story of the people who spent their lives working on the great cathedrals in Italy. They were master craftsman and artists that may have only have worked on one small section of those enormous buildings. Whether they were painting a spectacular scene, laying intricate tile work, or carving the wood of the highest arches, they were only one small part of the much larger picture. Many of them never got to see the completed church even though they'd spent all of their days devoted to it's progress. They probably never met the ones who had laid the foundation or those who would continue working after them. But the cathedral couldn't have been finished, and wouldn't be as beautiful, without every single one of those workers.

As counselors we get to be craftsman and artists in the lives of our campers. When we think about the work we do in the summer we usually think about the 90 kids that we got to lead and build relationships with. We have cabin photos that show the ten smiling faces that moved in each week. But what if instead of looking at all of the kids you impact in one summer, we looked at how one kid is impacted over all of their summers?

So many campers start their Tecumseh journey at age eight as a Brave in Miami or Catawba cabin. They grow up in this place; improving from a yellow to blue swim band, learning all the words to the camp songs, performing on stage at closing campfire, moving up the hill to Lake Village and someday graduating as a torchbearer. Many kids will tell you that this is their favorite place on Earth and the place that taught them about themselves, about friends, about faith. It's their whole collection of summers that brought them here, but their counselors only get to be with them for one or maybe two years if they're lucky. They don't get to see the whole journey.

When I was a camp kid I loved when counselors returned for two or three or sometimes four summers if I got really lucky. I could always find first years that I liked a lot too, but there is something so special about consistency. Having people come back that knew me and shared my history was my favorite thing. It always broke my heart at the end of the summer when all the counselors packed everything from their cabins back into their cars and headed out. I could never know for sure if they would be back again next June, a whole school year away.

Now I try to keep that feeling in my mind when I think about returning for another summer as a counselor. There are so many kids that I want to keep coming back for and I know it's important to them. I want to see how Lilly has changed this year and if she's still such a carefree spirit. I want to know how Carly is doing with her parents split. I wonder if Cami and Alli are still good friends after starting middle school.

I know that I'm incredibly lucky to have been a counselor for as long as I have. For starters, I was born as a camp kid and wanted to be a counselor since I knew what one was. My parents are obviously supportive of camp and never would have questioned if it was a good thing for me to return. I majored in Education in college so while other friends had to take internships, summer camp served as the perfect experience for my future. Now as a teacher, my summers are free and there is nothing I would rather do than return to Tecumseh. I get to be one of the counselors that comes back and I don't take it for granted.

Being able to see kids grow up here over several summers lets me see a larger picture not many people get. There is a little girl named Emma that is one of the cathedrals being worked on and perfected summer after summer. She's never actually been in my cabin, but I've known her for many years now.

The first year she came to camp she hated it. I can still picture her in the front row of opening campfire. She had a scowl on her face, arms crossed tight and her whole body tense in protest to the slightest bit of fun. While everyone else danced and sang to Silly Willy, Emma stood with her hair over her eyes like a curtain, trying to block all of them out.

She was in one of my best friend's cabin that year so our paths overlapped enough for me to definitely take notice of her presence. A little spitfire, she could throw a temper tantrum with the best of them. It wasn't uncommon to see her crying in the Fellowship Room before clinics, pouting at the lunch table or sitting out of pool time. To no avail her counselors tried to console her, cheer her up and get her into the camp spirit.  It didn't work.

The next year was much of the same. When she showed up the counselors that recognized her were thankful she wasn't in their cabin. Emma made the week difficult for everyone--she wasn't nice to the other girls and the counselors had to give so much of their time and attention to her. The negative attitude was still a fixture as much as that dark curtain of long, tangled hair. She lagged behind the group every where they walked and never participated with the rest of the group. Even though she was a pill, her counselors continued to love her. Week after week in staff meetings we are commissioned to go out there and, "Love those kids." It doesn't matter who they are or how fun they are; at Tecumseh we're going to love each and every one of them. Those counselors should have been given an award for how well they loved that child all week long.

Emma's third summer she became a Blazer and stayed for two weeks. "My parents are making me stay," she announced to her counselors with a bit of a lisp that she hadn't lost yet when they asked if she was excited. She started out her week with the same familiar scowl and crossed arms when we all circled up around flagpole that first night. But the rest of my memories of Emma that year are of her being stuck to her counselor's side.

She had finally learned that this love was genuine and that she would be loved no matter how she reacted. I think Emma was starting to figure out that maybe it would be okay to take her guard down a little bit. Whether they were swimming in the pool, walking across Main Field or sitting on the benches at chapel, Emma weaseled her way right beside her counselor. She still complained and whined all day long, refusing to have fun or get excited. But spotting the two of them holding hands as they walked or seeing them mid-piggy-back ride was the most beautiful picture. Emma's counselor got attached to her as well and both of them cried when it was time for her to go.

This past summer I couldn't wait to spot Emma when her time of the summer rolled around. She came back for two weeks again just like the year before. On check-in day she sought out her counselor from the year before and attacked her with a giant hug. At first she was hesitant about her new cabin because she wanted to be with the same counselor again. But Emma had two new awesome counselors that continued to love her well. When I saw her around camp she was running in her flag football clinic or digging in the volleyball sand during Trading Post with other kids. The scowl had been replaced with a toothy smile and sometimes she even pulled her hair back from her eyes into a loose ponytail. This was a different kid. When it was time for her to be picked up Emma didn't want to leave and begged her parents to let her stay for a third week. She loved camp.

I love this story of transformation that happened right in-front of my eyes. Emma has grown in so many ways during the four years she has been coming to Tecumseh. And her story still isn't over. There will be more counselors this summer and then ones after that who will all keep pouring their encouragement and prayer and love and support into this little girl's life. Many of them will never know her whole story or have any idea of the kid she used to be. But the work that each of them is doing is so important. They are part of a story that is bigger than themselves. Part of the legacy we get to leave behind is the impact we've had in the lives of our campers. As counselors we are adding to the beautiful, unique, intricate lives of kids in our cabins and it's some of the most meaningful work we will ever get to be a part of.