Adams Camp Thursday: The Coming Thunder
Tonight I am typing from the exact same location that I did last evening. From the porch of my cabin that overlooks the rolling forest of dying trees I can see the illumination of lighting shooting up over the towering Rocky Mountains. It is so very still, and so deeply quiet right now…but a storm is coming….
I am typing my daily Adams Camp reflections a day late because it usually takes a day for my brain to cook a small amount of sense of things that I have experienced. Not to say that I am dumb, I am just…um…unsmarted. J
Thursday was a much different day for me then the days before. My wife allowed ourselves a day to step back from all of the activities and to just breath. We went to breakfast at a wonderful little place at the bottom of The Winter Park Ski resort called "Base Camp Breakfast". There I enjoyed a Eggs Benedict that science says should have stopped my heart beating right then and there. It was filled with more yummy then a sloth like me should be able to enjoy. It was like eating a piece of pie that I am certain they serve in Heavens waiting room. (Note: I am not suggesting that I am a shoo-in for heaven by any means…but if I don't make it I will have barely missed the cut)
I am certain that you are not as interested as I am in this breakfast of eggs, magical cream sauce, and home baked breads…but if you are ever near Winter Park and you are not afraid of clogging your heart up with tasty-fun than I suggest you go there!
The thunder and lightning are now passing over the mountains. It is amazing to see the peaks lit up by God's flashlight. I wonder who he is looking for? My money is on Hoffa…or Big Foot…or a good script for M.Night Shyamalan.
Anyway, what I am meaning to say is that Thursday was a day of pure reflection. We had not agenda or axe to grind. We just relaxed…and it was nice. I had not felt that level of relaxation since the great gas leak of 84 in my parents house. There are so many good things about just letting go and just being. I am a chap who internalizes most things, I allow my baggage to build up. This day was all about letting the baggage melt away like the bad guys did in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. For a small slice of time I was able to completely leave all my issues, or problems back in Wyoming.
There are also some bad things that come with this level of relaxation…..
The problem is in the back of my head I know that this feeling is fleeting. Soon reality will strike. Soon the storm of life will hit me like the impending Thunderstorm that is now hovering over our camp site. In a couple days the worry, issues, and problems will again show up at my door like a bear with a chainsaw and a hankerin' for violence.
My day of peace was ruined about half-way through with these seeds of fear….
In a short amount of time the hope I have for my son will be hit by the inevitable tide of doubt that will come rolling in. The voices who wish to keep him down will come chiming in again, and with that my Zen feeling will leave my chest and be replaced by it's arch enemies "tightness and despair". There is nothing that can be done about this….just like there is nothing I can do about this rain storm that is forcing me inside my cabin doors now.
Right?
Well…as all my math teaches will testify to the fact that I am seldom right I am hoping that I am dead wrong here. I am hoping that hope leaves it's mark on me. I am hoping that with the trials that I know my family will be facing soon I can retrieve the hope I have stored from this week here at Adams Camp.
Where have I found hope this weekend?
I could write twenty postings on this topic alone. Allow me to be brief and just mention one reason I have rekindled my fire o' hope. This reason does not only give me hope for special children, but it gives me optimism in the world. I have hope because of the people who are here serving these/mine/our children.
The volunteers are here because of their profound love of special children. They are servants in every way possible. Many autistic children can be very difficult to work with, and they often offer very little appreciation back. This does not phase these incredible people. They meet these children with love, care, empathy, patience, and a heart of service. From the therapists, to the counselors, to the cooks each of them are here because something inside them or outside them has called them to be here.
They come from around the country, and world to share in this camp. Many come at their own expense, and they do so with smiles on their faces and seemingly no ego in their hearts.
I have not problem saying that these people are right now the best people in the world. I cannot be anymore grateful for them and the love they have shown me and my family. I am humbled by their generosity…I cannot imagine doing what they do.
I wish I was more like these beautiful folks.
They give me hope. If there are people like this in the world then things can't be as bad as it seems. If people like this exist then I always know that goodness will prevail over corruption or greed. If people like this are walking Earth then I know my son will always have a hand holding his even when mine falls limp.
It gives me encouragement to become a better more generous person.
It gives me a new faith in the idea that autism can be combated with not only science, advocacy, but most of all LOVE.
It gives me hope to survive the lightning storm that is coming….
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