Daily Egyptian
Little giants are the heroes that make us smile with the simple subtleties of their kindness and dry up the saltwater that spills from our sad souls with the gentle embrace of their arms.
They are the ones who whisper, "Stay strong" when we are weak and, "Have mine" when we are without. They remind us to believe when we lose faith.
Are heroes born or are they made? Are they cast from the mold with the strength to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, or are they simply humans with overgrown hearts?
That is not for us to answer. We know only that our heroes are taking a vacation this summer at Camp Little Giant located inside the Touch of Nature site in Carbondale.
It is a camp for the ones the world has labeled disabled.
But when they shed the wheelchair and let their troubles sink in the fresh clean water or gaze with wonder upon a newly discovered creature of the earth, they are simply children.
And at the same time, they are so much more. They are the reminder to the rest of the world that yes, this is life, and living it is grand.
In its 49th year, Camp Little Giant continues to serve as the place where our heroes' spirits are renewed, hope is born and the bonds of friendship, though they may be pulled and tugged, are never broken. Director Randy Osborn, a 1986 SIUC graduate, will surely be blessed by his humble offering to the world.
To the rest of you who give your hands and sweat to Camp Little Giant, we also appreciate your contribution. That is as far as we will go, because surely any thanks we give fails in comparison to the satisfaction you receive tenfold from your labors when a child raps his soot-filled hands around your waist or remarks simply, "that's cool."
Few of us will ever know what it means to be 'disabled,' as the world has labeled our heroes, but do not be deceived, because from these little giants we have much to learn.
From their constant struggle, we learn to be patient; from their zest for life, we learn to be humble; from their acceptance of humanity, we learn to love.
Counselors say Camp Little Giant is typical of any other camp experience except it moves at a slower pace. While these little giants may not get from point to point the quickest, they surely get the most enjoyment from it. The rest of us are too rushed or too lazy to pick the joy from every nook-and-cranny.
They live at the pace that was surely meant to be the pace of the human race, where there is time to smell all that is sweet in our surroundings.
We hope our little giants enjoy their vacation.
Too quickly, the summer will fade into the fall, and our heroes will go home. But they will not be gone.
We will find them again along our hurried path of life when we have forgotten what it means to love.
And with eyes as round as the moon, hearts as big as the ocean, arms outstretched wide enough to embrace the world and a smile that stretches from Oregon to Maine, our little giants will remind us again of everything good and wonderful about the human existence.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
