Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Last week was a roller coaster.

Re-reading that phrase, I have no choice but to laugh. It is the exact phrase my family has used to describe me for years. Since the morning of my third birthday I have been considered the emotionally unstable one of my household - count on Bekah to take you to the highest heights and lowest lows in ten seconds flat. This week gave me a taste of what my parents experienced in my own childhood.

In keeping with the metaphor, at the end of a roller coaster the rider usually feels rushed, tired, and happy. The same can be said of me this weekend. Junior High Girls are a handful; they are emotional and self conscious - and especially in need of extravagant love.

The beginning of the week was...interesting. I had a crazy mix of girls, and an awesome new CIT (counselor in training) to get accustomed to. A new sleep schedule and set of temperaments to send my brain through. And if you remember anything about middle school, you should remember that the world is a dismal depressing and unsatisfying place where (READ WITH OVER EXAGGERATED 'WOE IS ME' ATTITUDE) no one is for you, every one is against you, and if you have to do something other than sit and stare then the world is coming to an end!

My CIT and I sat down one evening as the girls were out hiding for a game of find the campers; we just sat and sighed. Peace and quiet - for the first time! We weren't sure how to get the girls excited for anything; how to teach them respect and how to be positive...it was only the second day and we were fried. The week would continue that same suite: Wake the girls up and brace yourselves for showers of complaints and arguments with sprinklings of giggles and smiles and a ray or two of gratitude before the downpours of grumbling hit each evening.

Then it was Thursday and the camp wide team scavenger hunt was upon us. I had pulled aside two of my girls - one a strong leader, the other a quiet and cautious girl - and asked them both to do something for me: be vocally positive and encouraging. My CIT and I sat all the girls down and stressed the fact that the obstacles would take team work and encouragement; we weren't sure if our words were doing any good until that evening when we were all at the starting line.

We cried.

The girls were nothing but positive, kind, considerate. With only one incident the entire hour we were running across camp, my CIT and I were leaping for joy. But the final test came - and it wasn't even an obstacle. It was the fact that we were coming in second place, not first. I was preparing for the whining voices saying "We didn't even come in first, what was the point!?" or "We did all this work for nothing, this is stupid!"...I waited...

And nothing happened.

 The girls were quiet for a moment and then they were smiling, high-fiving each other, cheering on the other teams passing by, laughing. I couldn't believe it. The emotional downpour was gone, and in its place, the sunshine was brighter than ever! It took all week, but my girls learned the importance of encouragement and positive attitudes.

Blessed. That's what I am.

- Bekah S.