OK, so since my friends let me know (on an almost daily basis) that I really am bad at keeping my blog updated, I thought that I would try a different approach. So without further ado...
What significant event do you recall from your childhood?
An interesting question in and of itself...there are many significant events from my childhood that I recall vividly (while my short term memory is not always the best, my long term memory is very long). Every event, every choice that I have made (for better or worse) has helped shape my life and allowed me to grow to be the man I am today. There have been many happy or not so happy events which have occurred throughout the years.
One of the most positive events that allowed me to shape my character was becoming friends with Ben Tolman. While we went to school together our entire lives, we really started to hang out our freshman year of High school. As time passed, he invited me to attend a camp out that is Boy Scout troop was going on. I had been a scout for many years, starting in cubs as an 8 year old, and growing into the scouting program as time progressed.
Most of my experiences in scouts came about regardless of whether the leaders wanted to assist or not. Ben's Troop was different. When he invited me to that first camp out, his Scoutmaster, Ron, asked if I could follow one simple rule..."do what you are asked when you are asked to do it"...it was easy enough to follow that rule. As I began attending that troop in earnest, I began to learn leadership skills that would and have served me throughout my entire life.
It was a boy ran troop (which basically means the boys decided what activities would be done with the guidance and support of their leaders). It allowed us to learn how to lead, how to live by the Scout Oath taking seriously our Duty to God and Country (I get teary eyed when I listen to patriotic music or ponder about the cost that our forefathers must have paid for our freedom). It also served the purpose of instilling in us the responsibility of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
As I have gotten older and my oldest son, now almost 14, is three merit badges and his service project away from his Eagle, I have been able to share with him (as well as my boy in WEBELOS) the essence of scouting; teaching him the lessons that I began to learn in earnest at his same age. It has been challenging at times (as I am sure it was for my parents growing up...sorry mom and dad), but even if he learns a few of the lessons I learned without having to learn them the hard way, he will be much better off.
While I have had many significant events happen to me in my life, very few days go by that I do not think about our 'Panther Patrol' (the leadership patrol) and the friendships made throughout those years.
