It's been four months since I left WBC...has it really been four months? At times I feel like it's been longer than those four months, and other times it feels like I was at camp just yesterday. As I was thinking back to camp today, I came across the following quote:
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. --Mother Teresa --
I don't know what it was about this quote, but it reminded me of camp the first time I read it. Maybe it was the fact that Mother Teresa was trying to say the the important part was putting love into what we do and give. It was during this past summer at camp that I did a lot. I also gave a lot of myself. But that wasn't the important part. The important part was that I found myself giving and doing things because I cared about my campers.
Looking back, I couldn't be happier with the experience of being a counselor at WBC. It was one of those experiences that allowed me to spend time with people that had a huge impact on my life. I now can look back at the pictures I took of my campers, at the pictures and cards campers made me, and the notes that several of them wrote me and smile. Many times those things make me grin from ear to ear, and they regularly make me tear up. Here are some of the notes and quotes that have stuck with me that I experienced at camp this past summer.
I will miss you all a lot you mean so much in my life every forever I love you so much love, camper name
Dear Erin
Hope you feel better we all miss you very much you mean everything you do a lot for us at camp we all love you Camper name
"The meaning of life is to live life to the fullest" camper
"The meaning of life is living." camper
Erin
I am going to miss you I hope you have a good summer fall and winter up at camp and at home with you mom and dad.
love,
camper name
To Erin
my special friend and the best counselor here at badger camp
Hope you are feeling like yourself very soon It's no fun being sick. Camper name
I hope you get well Erin. We are sorry that you got sick. Get well soon. We miss you. Camper name
...I was happy to have you as a counselor the past 12 days...I'm enjoying myself here at WBC. Thanks again and have a great rest of your summer...Camper name
I love reading these notes and looking at their accompanying pictures. As I was looking at them just now, I saw the campers names, and couldn't help but smile, and remember the moments with each of those campers that made my time with them the most memorable. Sometimes it was something as simple as sitting together, not saying a word, and just enjoying each other's company. Sometimes the memorable moment with a camper was taking a picture together. Sometimes it was a joke. Sometimes it was watching one of my campers dancing their heart out. Sometimes it was a hug. Sometimes it was seeing one of my campers get excited about seeing a camp friend again. Most of the time it was seeing a camper smiling from ear to ear and hearing them laugh at something that sticks out to me.
Looking back at the photos I took of myself with my campers, and of my campers that I wish I could share them all with everyone so people could see the personalities that I got to know and see on a daily/weekly basis.
That was the cool thing about working with people with developmental disabilities--getting to know them personally and getting to enjoy the simplest things with them made all of the hard work and long hours worth it. It was those simple moments that made me smile, laugh, and enjoy life. Camp forced me to truly appreciate being near "normal".
