The Past Week

I haven't blogged in awhile, and there is so much I could say about this week.  The Olympics have been awesome, for sure.  I haven't had access to a TV in a week, so I'm a bit behind on all of it, but I did just sit down and watch gymnastics On Demand for about four hours (ridiculous, I know).  Gosh, I love the Olympics.  It's the one good thing that the whole world gets into, and I find myself alternating between tears, chills, and jumping out of my seat every time I watch.

The Chick-Fil-A debacle has been such a huge deal that I feel like I should devote an entire blog to it, but I'll just comment briefly.  Chick-Fil-A was my first job, and it was a great one.  My bosses were good to me, and over the span of several years working there, I never grew tired of their food or disgusted by the way it was prepared.  As far as what has happened over the last couple of weeks, I find it shocking that people are just beside themselves about Chick-Fil-A's stance on the whole issue.  People, what did you really think the company that is closed on Sunday for religious purposes would have to say?  I'll let Rick Warren speak for me since he does a better job than I could anyway: "Our culture has accepted two huge lies: the first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle of thinking you must fear or hate them.  The second is to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do.  Both are nonsense.  You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."

By the way, if we are going to boycott or support businesses based on their stances on certain issues, we are doing a horrible job of maintaining consistency.  If we are going to follow through with the "support only the companies that have the exact same idealogy as you" principle, non-Christians need to start buying their scrapbook paper from somewhere besides Hobby Lobby because HL plays hymns in the store.  Christians need to delete their Facebooks because Mark Zuckerburg is an atheist.  See?  None of it really makes sense.  Here's the thing: I love me a good spicy chicken sandwich with Polynesian sauce, so I'm going to continue going to Chick-Fil-A.

Alright, I'm done with my rant.  Now on to the most important part of this week for me. 

People often ask me what made me want to become a special education teacher.  It's a good question, because unlike my best friend who has a twin sister with Down Syndrome, I don't have any close connection to anyone with a significant disability.  I volunteered in the special education classroom in high school and loved it, but what really changed my heart forever was Camp Summit.

This week, I got to go back and volunteer at camp for the Young Developmentally Delayed session (ages 6-12).  I was in a cabin full of nine and ten-year-old little boys with varying disabilities, mostly autism.  Now just close your eyes and imagine with me for a moment.  First put any eight little boys together 24/7 for a week.  That, in itself, has potential for craziness.  Then multiply that times six cabins, throw some little girls into three cabins, and assume that every camper has some sort of disability.  Yeah.  It was a wild week.  And a wonderful one.

What I love most about camp is that every kid gets to be himself, and no one gets to make fun.  I wish they would get chances like this everywhere.  People are loved for exactly who they are, not for what they are not, and not for what they do or don't have to offer.  There is something beautiful and valuable about every camper.  I have learned so much from the campers about how to look at life.  I make things way too complicated, and their world seems so simple.  I spend so much time worrying, and they just live in the moment.  I am often wrapped up in my own world, and they'll run up to a stranger just to give a hug.   

I also love the people who work at Camp Summit.  Because of camp, I've been able to meet some really neat people from all walks of life.  Let's face it, camp can be a true challenge at times.  But having people to love and encourage you on the days when it would be so easy to walk out changes everything.  Andrew and I were dating during my last summer at camp (he was living in Oklahoma and I only got 24 hours off on the weekends).  I would always try to explain to him what was going on over the phone, and as much as he would try to listen and understand, he couldn't fully know the joy or feel the frustration like my camp friends could.  There is something about being a team and sharing the same experiences that draws people together like nothing else can. 

The last time I worked at camp was in 2007, but it will always be a special place to me, and I'll always have memories that just bring a smile to my face.  This past week was unbelievably challenging, but as is the case with many other things in life, the hardest things are often the best ones. 

I chose special ed because of Camp Summit.  Not because I'm more patient, tenderhearted, or kind than anyone else (oh, if only you knew!).  I chose it because I think everyone deserves a chance to be loved, and I saw that in action at camp.  And finally, I chose it because of the starfish story, which goes something like this:

A runner was on the beach when he spotted a man in the distance.  As he got closer to the man, he took note of what the man was doing.  He was picking up starfish, one by one, and throwing them back into the water because he knew that they would die if they stayed on the sand for too long.

The runner finally approached the man and said, "I've noticed what you're doing and I don't mean to be rude, but this beach is miles long and there are hundreds of starfish!  How can you possibly make a difference?"

The man picked up another starfish and threw it back in the ocean.  Then he smiled at the runner and said simply, "It made a difference for that one."

The public education system is imperfect, the world underestimates people's abilities, and there is honestly so little time to help everyone in all of the ways that they need.  But I hope, by God's grace, that I can make a difference "for that one."