Chapter 10
CAMP SPLIT - Fall 1992
It soon became obvious that our camp was bursting at the seams. We knew we had to do something, so we split the camp by age group. Don, Virginia and some of the counselors agreed to support both camps.
I agreed to attend the first fall weekend retreat for the older (over 15) campers. I was assigned Brian. Brian was a bundle of energy. It was hard for Brian to sit for 2 minutes, but when something interested him he could soak it in. You could name any city and he could tell you the sports teams, and the name of the stadium. We all tried to stump him, but none of us succeeded.
Glen was also in our cabin. He and Brian were like ice and fire -- complete opposites. Brian was always moving and talking and Glen hated too much activity. Glen quickly developed an attitude towards Brian. Anytime Brian would talk to him Glen would get mad and yell at him. Glen's favorite phrase seemed to be "I don't want to!"
Brian soon started mimicking Glen, and this just made Glen angrier. We tried our best to keep them apart, but staying in the same cabin it was difficult.
The World Series happened to be going on at the same time as our camp and Brian, being a big sports fan, was interested. One night after all the other campers were asleep we sneaked out into my car and listened to the game. Brian thought this was a grand adventure and couldn't wait to tell everyone.
Brian also had a crush on counselor Stacy. One night Brian wanted to impress her and dumped a load of my after shave on then attempted to gargle with my Listerine. We heard a loud scream and found Brian trying desperately to wash the taste out of his mouth.
I explained to Brian that Stacy was engaged, but he was relentless. After camp I called and was talking to Brian. He asked if I saw Stacy and I told him I was going to her wedding that weekend. Brian, never one to give up, told me to tell her that it was O.K. if she changed her mind, he would be waiting.
Because we had extra room we agreed to take Terry, an older camper, from Don's church. Terry is in his fifties, has cerebral palsy, and limited mobility. He could get himself around in his wheelchair, as long as the surface was flat and the distance not too far. He could feed himself but required some assistance getting dressed. The most remarkable thing about Terry was his attitude. He never complained, to him the world, and everything in it, was beautiful. He was always in a good mood and kind to everyone. No matter what you suggested it was O.K. with him. Any little thing you did for him he made sure to thank you. When Terry thanked you, you knew he meant it. We should all be more like Terry.
