S.T.A.F.F.: Family

The final flag on the wall is the one that I have been looking forward to write about since I started the S.T.A.F.F. mini-series. The final flag is Family, and this blog is probably going to get a little more personal than I normally get but here it goes.

I remember the day I knew that the people around me at camp were my family. It was my first summer and I was on the docks with my kids doing the swimming portion of the decathlon. There was another waterfront specialist who was actually timing. My kids had done fairly well but as were leaving one of them decided they were going to dive into Area 1 of the lake. Well, I thought this was a pretty dumb move on his part and I was getting ready to yell at him myself. But alas I was not fast enough and the other counselor "D-Cup" (that was his nickname) got up and called my kid a retard.

Now, for those of you who know me you know that I'm a calm, rational, never dramatic individual who can normally keep his cool. I BLEW UP!!! I started screaming at D-Cup so loud and so fast that you would have thought I was auditioning to be on the Jerry Springer show. I mean I turned about twenty-seven shades of red and that was on top of my already bronzed tan that I had received from working on the waterfront. Needless to say, D-Cup later got fired for other inappropriate comments to campers. But that day it dawned on me that I actually cared about someone so much that I was literally on the verge of fighting this dude because he was attacking them verbally. My kids had become family to me and I would have defended them to the end.

I would say that in my life I've had two guys who I have really looked up to and admired and wanted to grow up to emulate. The first one was my grandfather who helped my mother raise my brother and I. If you met him you'd understand why he introduces himself as "Shorty" but what he lacks in height he makes up in character. While I would love to write a million blogs about my grandfather, this part of the blog is actually about the second dude.

The other guy is Jeff Malis. I remember my second summer Jeff pulled me aside and said something like, "Keith, you know the ropes. I need you to help Patrick and Tim and let me know what's going on up there." I do not really know why this affected me the way it did but I was honored. Here was someone so respected at camp asking me, someone who barely made it to their second summer, for help.

The reason I look up to Jeff is more than just him pandering to my ego and making me feel more important than I really was. Jeff demonstrates honor, integrity, humor, character, compassion, and discipline everyday. Not having a father around as a child, I found comfort in the fact that I had someone that I never felt uneasy talking with or approaching about anything. Nothing seemed stupid to Jeff and he always made me feel like I was important and what I had to contribute was meaningful. He was also there to give me guidance on things and show me the ropes himself. Whenever I was having a rough day or a moment when I wasn't at my best Jeff was there to help me through it. I hope one day I can do that for someone too because the impact Jeff has had on my life is profound. One can definitely see the effect just in how I've grown as a counselor. So Jeff, if you happen to read this blog I thank you!

But the best part about family is there isn't just one person to help you through things, there is an abundance of support. Which leads me into the Three Amigos. This past summer I had the privilege of working with two of the most amazing guys I've ever met. To say they were my best friends would be the understatement of a lifetime. These guys were brothers. I had worked with each of them my previous summers but this past summer was the first time that all three of us were at camp at the same time and what a team we made.

All three of us had come into camp with some baggage, though I'll admit mine was not nearly as compromising to my time at camp as theirs were. We found out almost immediately that we were inseparable. The three of us would talk about anything and everything. There wasn't anything someone would say to one of us that all of us didn't know. We were a united front. Where Tyler would excel at creativity, I would excel at management and Collin was there to inspire and execute. When one of us got homesick the others would cheer him up. When one of us was having "relationship" issues where they were being treated like a piece of meat the others were there to help reevaluate the situation. When one of us stepped over the line and creeped on another ones girl...I was there to whoop his butt!!!!

Some of my most memorable moments at camp were some crazy antic with one or both of the Amigos. Whether it was Tyler and I's trip around the Lake, Collin and I's $1 bets (that I totally won), or the Amigos doing the wing challenge at Benchwarmers, my summer was the better because the three of us were together. (We did let Landon in the circle once which formed the Brotherhood, but that is a story that shall NEVER be told by ANY OF US!!!!!!!....sorry Holly :-P) At camp we talk about life-long friends and for the first time after this summer I truly understand what that means.

When someone asks me now why I go back to Camp Starlight year after year I say because I miss my family. To me, those seven short weeks are like a family reunion. Sure we laugh and have fun, but just like all families we have those one or twelve mischievous uncles who always want to ruin the party. It's the good and the bad that's what makes it family. The good days you feel like you're on top of the world and the bad ones you realize you really are on top because you have your family there with you.