By Lia Mossler, URJ GUCI Counselor

I am a counselor for the youngest unit on camp, Garin, This means I work with campers ranging in age from seven to nine years old and comes with many challenges; homesick campers, temper-tantrums, and constant, never-ending questions. However, it also comes with something else; automatic and unconditional love from my campers. I distinctly remember my first day as a counselor in Garin last summer. I was incredibly nervous—nervous that my co-counselors wouldn’t like me, nervous that being a counselor would be too much for me to handle, but most of all, the all-consuming fear that my campers wouldn’t like me. My greatest fear quickly faded, however. At the end of the first night, one of my campers told me she loved me. I was shocked. It had been only a couple of hours and I really hadn’t done any more than talk to her and make sure her basic needs were met. Then I realized something, I didn’t need to be a comedian or emulate over the top enthusiasm. My campers would like me because they are young and trusting and utterly amazing. How did I get so lucky to be left with such gems given to me by parents who so blindly trusted me with their most prized possession? I decided to stop questioning and just be thankful. I had the most rewarding month in Garin last year and I am wildly excited to be a counselor working with the same situation again this summer. However, this time I have confidence and am ready to work with my favorite smiling faces every morning.