My mother died of cancer September 28, 1963, when I was almost 3 years old. I really didn’t learn of her death until sometime in October. I remember asking my dad when mom would be coming home from the hospital. He sat me down on the couch and in a very somber voice told me that I would never see her again. He explained that she had died and when people die they go to another place where I would not be able to see her. He told me, however, that he would never leave me. And until 2005 when he was 81 years old, he kept that promise.
Everyone faces trauma at one time or another. If you haven’t faced any yet, you will. It is a part of life and is part of what shapes our character. The trauma I experienced so early in my life became a part of who I am and has influenced many of the decisions I have made, whether I’ve been aware of it at the time or not. This experience led me to choose Camp Courage as my service project during my sabbatical. Camp Courage is a camp for children who have experienced loss in their lives by death, divorce, incarceration, or deployment. I felt I might have something to offer since I have been through it myself.
I also got the idea from viewing the “Frunge” photos in the hallway at the home office. I noticed that wall hanging when I first began working at FDL and I see it almost every day. I thought it looked like a lot of fun and wondered how I could get involved. I wanted to have as much fun as the people in the photo (Alvino, Pat Baxter, etc.) After some thought, I realized I really only wanted to do it for the entertainment value. That is, I wanted to do it more for selfish reasons than altruistic. I decided that if I were really interested in helping the children, I could just as easily do that closer to home. So, one more reason to volunteer for Camp Courage.
In spite of the traumatic beginning to my life, I feel like one of the luckiest people on the planet. I have a fantastic wife and a wonderful daughter, live in a free country, and I work for a great company. I am one of the most blessed people in the world. Over the next 5 days, I hope to convey that to those who are hurting.
The camp starts tomorrow and runs for 5 days and 4 nights. I am a tad bit terrified. I have already had a day of training. They tell me there is no cell phone reception out there. I won’t be blogging until I get back. At the moment I am wishing that I had volunteered at Habitat for Humanity or Meals on Wheels or something like that. I will let you know how it went.
Perhaps the kids are not the only ones who need to find courage at this camp.
-Matt