Middah of the Week – Respect/Kavod

Shabbat Shalom, Camp Louise!

The days are long, the weeks are short – and here we are at the end of week #2.  Yesterday, we said goodbye to our two week friends and Sunday, we will welcome some new two week friends.

As we gathered for Shabbat last night, we reflected on our time at camp and our Middah of this past week – respect/kavod.  We show respect in so many different ways at camp – respecting our bunkmates, our counselors, the grounds at camp, and so much more!

These campers were called up to light Shabbat candles with me because they embodied respect this week by:

• Switching with another teammate who really wanted to play soccer so that both could have fun
• Being quiet while listening to rules during Color Games
• Cleaning the porch when the counselors asked
• Always following directions and participating in activities with no complaints
• Acting as a great role model for bunkmates and doing this with a smile on her face – and quietly, not expecting any recognition from counselors or bunkmates
• Picking up trash around camp
• Giving up a chair for an injured friend
• Always offering to help out a friend and always asking permission to use bunkmates’ things
• Always showing respect to everyone in the bunk and even the unit – and to staff too!
• Respecting everyone’s feelings
• Making a concerted effort to show respect to peers, counselors, and little bunk campers
• Going out of their to engage with their little bunk campers and use their role as a trainee to model to the rest of camp how to spread respect
• Always displaying a great attitude
• Following directions, helping everyone out and generally is just a happy, model camper

And one of my favorite stories of the week….two Unit B campers showed respect this week when there was a little cereal mishap in the dining hall. After some cereal spilled these two waited to make sure no one stepped on the cereal. Then when the dining hall manager brought out the broom to sweep it up, they asked if they could do it, and they got to work. One swept while the other held the dustpan. They chatted about how they didn’t know each other, but that they made such a good team. The dining hall manager was impressed with not only the respect that they showed for the dining hall and dining hall staff by helping to keep it clean, but also by the respect they had for each other to help until the task was done. They were not asked to clean but did so out of respect for their shared spaces. They also showed respect to me and Jaci by remembering what they had heard at meals, that we all work together to keep camp clean!

They showed respect and made a new friend in the process.  Now if that isn’t camp, I don’t know what is!

Shabbat Shalom!

Alicia