Walnuts on My Windshield #43
July 21, 2006

Today I went to pick Josiah up from Camp Lookout. Camp Lookout is a free Christian camp provided by the College of the Ozarks, our local "Hard Work U." At C of O, students work on campus to pay for their tuition, room, and board. They do have to pay cash for their books and a few other small fees, but their out of pocket expense for four years of tuition, room, and board and a Bachelor's Degree is $0.00. 90% of the student body must demonstrate financial need and all must be good academic students.

One of the MANY wonderful things C of O does in the Branson area is Camp Lookout, a week of summer camp for all kids ages 8 - 12. This was Josiah's 4th and final year to go. He has come a L-O-N-G way in those four years.

In 2003, he had just had his psych evaluation and had started on meds for ADHD and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). We had also officially learned that he has CAPD (central auditory processing disorder/delays), was clinically depressed, and has pretty severe dyslexia.

He went to Camp Lookout a few weeks later, meds in hand, and when I picked him up on Friday, he was morose. He didn't say much, seemed sad and withdrawn, and didn't seem to have liked the camp all that much. His counselor told me that Josiah did "OK," but had been into trouble a bit. Other guys had, too. That was discouraging, and I didn't know if Josiah would consider going again. However, in the Spring of 2004, when it was time to apply, he was eager to go back.

I sent in his 2004 application and a couple months later, we got word that it had been denied, with no reason given. When I contacted the camp director to find out the reason, she was as kind as she could be. She explained that they had had some difficulties with some of the ADHD/ODD kids - though not Josiah specifically. Also, their counselors were just undergraduate college students who, while they loved kids, weren't professionally trained to deal with "troubled" kids. There had been vandalism to some cabins, etc., through the years, always caused by kids with ADHD and/or ODD after their names. For that reason, the camp had decided to limit the number of those kids who would be accepted for each week-long session. There just weren't enough ADHD/ODD slots for all the kids in those categories, so Josiah was denied.

She did suggest that if I could get his teacher and principal to provide a good reference for him, she could re-sumbit his application and see if the higher-ups would re-consider. Since Scott and I (his "principal" and "teacher") wouldn't exactly be deemed objective, I requested letters from his Cub Scout leader and Children's Pastor. What they each wrote about Josiah made me cry - in a good way. Josiah's denial was overturned and he attended Camp Lookout in 2004 and had a great time.

In 2005, he applied and was accepted, with no problem. It was another great week of camp.

This year, when I filled out the application, in order to be truthful, I had to explain his most recently-added diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I also wrote a letter, detailing his history with Camp Lookout and asking them to look up any notes on him from previous years. I explained that each year when I picked him up, I spoke with his counselor(s) and asked them if they had had any problems with his behavior and that after that first year, they had not. I sent all that off and just prayed and prayed that they would accept him one more time. I never got the normal confirmation letter, but I did get a phone call, saying that his denial (I did not know he had been denied) had been reversed and they would look forward to having him at camp July 17-21. Whew! I breathed a big sigh of relief.

So, today is Friday, July 21, and I drove to the College to pick up Exhibit J. He came out to the car and asked if I could wait around, park, and come in, because the camp director wanted to talk to me. Oh, boy. I parked, took a deep breath, and followed Josiah. He took me to the director, who asked if I was Josiah's mom. Yes, I was.

Well, she wanted me to know what a great guy Josiah was. He had been a WONDERFUL camper and a delight to have. He had done GREAT, his behavior had been super, and I was to be congratulated on my fine son! She had read my letter (accompanying his application), and she had wanted to be sure to tell me in person what a fine fellow he was. Wow!

Then one of his counselors came up to me and wanted to know if Josiah was my son. Yes. He told me that Josiah was the best camper in his cabin (!!!), that he was very mature for his age, that he participated in all the Bible studies, that he was an example to the other guys, and that he helped settle the others down when they were too rowdy at night. Wow!

As I turned to meet yet another of his counselors, Josiah told me that he had been selected Camper of the Week. This award was chosen by the counselors and there were three Campers of the Week picked out of the nearly 100 kids who attended. Wow!

The third counselor asked Josiah if he was leaving (yes) and said that he wished all the guys had been like Josiah. He had been an outstanding camper, lots of fun, and a great example to other (8) boys in his cabin. Wow!

Then Josiah pointed out to me a friend that he had made, Josh. Josiah is not generally a friend-making kind of guy, and that is an area that we have really tried to help him with. Evidently he and Josh hit it off and were, in his words, "best friends" all week. Wow!

I took pictures of Josiah with his various counselors and the camp director and with Josh. We headed home and he was very chatty, telling me about the van with no A/C, the trip to SDC, the freezing cold cafeteria, etc. We stopped for gas, and while he was pumping it, he told me about a really obnoxious, girl-focused, non-underwear-wearing, know-it-all kid in his cabin named Ryan. He said that HE didn't say it, but the other guys were frequently saying, "Shut up, Ryan." Then he told me that Ryan kept telling him that the pills Josiah took made him dumb. Knowing full well that 1) Josiah is not dumb, and 2) his meds have no effect on his intelligence either way, and knowing that Josiah knew those two things, too, I chuckled, as if to blow it off with him. However, Josiah started crying hard as he said, "I know it's not true, but when Ryan said that, it REALLY hurt!" He did dry his tears quickly and returned to his happy chatty self, but for that moment, I wished I could have taken that young man and held him like a little boy. Few things have ever been easy for Josiah, and I'm sure he will face more tough stuff and challenges in the coming years.

But, when I look at how far he has come, I am truly amazed at what God, and Dr. Collie (his psych doc) and meds, and prayer, and research, and AIM, and hard work have done in his life. He is no longer the depressed, suicidal, lonely, thinks-he-is-stupid kid I sent to Camp Lookout four years ago. He is a happy, friendly, quirky, generally respectful kid, who impressed his Camp director by uttering Chinese phrases, who taught his new "best friend" some sign mime techniques, and who signed to the worship songs and later noticed that his cabin-mates were following his lead. He is truly the Camper of the Week!

Until Next Time,
Patty

From My BookPile:

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan, rank 7. This book was highly reviewed on the homeschooling forum I frequent, so I thought it would be great. It was a neat story, but not as neat as I had hoped. Basically, this mom is married to an alcoholic bum, they have ten children, and there's not even enough money to meet their basic expenses. The mom is a whiz with words, and this is the 1950s, so she takes to entering contests of all sorts - limericks, 25-words-or-less, etc. - which she frequently wins. Contesting becomes her stay-at-home job that keeps the family afloat. While there is some other plot stuff going on, I found that the book dragged a bit for me. After reading 200 different contest entries, I found myself wanting to "just get on with it and find out what happens!" The book is written by one of the children (now in her fifties).

Taps: Notes from a Nation's Heart by Richard Schneider, rank 10. This little book about the history of that bugle "song" that we have all heard played at funerals, was very, very good. I liked the depth of research, the informative sidebars, and the underlying thread of patriotism throughout. For someone whose favorite holiday is Veteran's Day, this was a superbly interesting book.

Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster by Melissa Fay Greene, rank 10. Faithful "Walnuts" readers have probably figured out that I have an affinity for books about disasters, and I really like a true disaster story that reads like a novel. This one does. You would not BELIEVE what these fellows when through during their ordeal. Obviously, since we do know something of what they went through, at least one of them survived, but that is all I will reveal. The political fall-out after the disaster was also almost unbelievable, and it was especially poignant considering our own family. I know that my wording is cryptic, but I just don't want to give away the (amazing) story, for those of you who may want to experience this one yourselves! I heard this book on tape, and it was riveting.

Quote of the Week:

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." ~ John Quincy Adams

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