Camp Fun

Last night I went to the convent to meet with the Sisters who send us 100 campers each summer. There were several kids who went to camp last year, so it was really fun to see them and get excited about camp together. One of the kids that was there was a girl who I spent quite a lot of time with while she was at camp.

CJ is a bigger girl- not fat, just big. Tall and build like a linebacker, she wore baggy jeans, an over sized black sweatshirt and a hat turned to the side. She had just completed 8th grade, but could have easily passed for a high school senior. Her brother had been killed just weeks before camp, and her glare pretty much said, "I am going to mess you up if you get near me." She happened to be in a cabin of prissy blond girls with short shorts and full make up. I was prepared for trouble the minute the cabin group got together.

It took about two days before everything blew up. I don't know what started it, but I know that by the time I got there, she had threatened to kill all of them and they were demanding a new cabin because they didn't want to be near her. Ordinarily with a threat of violence, I would have erred on the side of sending her home, but there was something about CJ that I immediately liked. I think I surprised both of us by not sending her home, but coming to her defense. I sat with that group of girls for over an hour, doing my best to imitate my therapist, saying, "okay, what I hear you saying is..." and "and how does it make you feel when she says that..." and such things.

I can't say they were best friends by the end, and I won't take credit for changing any lives, but the whole cabin was able to exist in harmony for the rest of the week. At the end of the week, I hugged CJ goodbye and told her I hoped she would come back to camp next year and I was glad she had been there. And I meant it. She was a sweet kid who was dealing with a screwed up life.

I was excited to see her last night, and surprised when she bounced over, smiling and happy, saying, "do you remember me?" I chatted with her and her friend (who had been at camp a different week last summer), talking about which counselors were coming back and listened to them talk about happy memories from the summer that I didn't know had happened (I mostly get to be part of the drama, not so much the fun stuff). I left feeling motivated and excited for the stacks of work I have waiting for me, because I was reminded that what we do at camp really matters to kids. Even the glaring, sullen, miserable kids who threaten to kill the rest of their cabin can be enjoying themselves when we aren't looking. It was a good refresher during this busy time.