Another scouting paycheck

[Scoutfish 16]

Thisw past weekend, we had our annual spring pack campout/ Crossover and graduation ceremony.

 

The weather hampered things a bit, and we had to drop and change a few things...but all things considered - it went great!

 

On Friday night, something I wasn't expecting at all happened.

 

We are casual on Friday nights during our camping. YOu show up when you want, set up and the scouts can chill, play, exp,lore....whatever. YOu fend for yourself for dinner, but usually a few of us throw down and cook good stuff.

 

I cooked a huge pot of black-eyed peas and smoked sausage. My ACM cooked a big pot of deer stew with potatoes and carrots. One of the Wolf DL's made a low country boil ( shrimp, crabs, potaoes), and another ADL from our Tiger den made hobo sandwhiches. I also cvooked 3 packs of Brats.

 

You know, I think alot of the scout parents "accidentally forget" to bring their own food when they find out what we are cooking!

 

One thing we do on Friday nights is a night hike. No lanterns, flashlights, glowsticks, cell phon lights, etc......NOTHING!

 

Of course, the full moon didn't hurt this time.

 

Now, I don't know about your night hikes, but we stop every 200 yards or so, and tell a kinda spooky story. The Devil's stomping ground which is about 2 1/2 hours away over in Siler City, NC...or about the wild and roaming ferral hogs that are known in our area..or about Lonnie Butts - the Boy Scout who drowned because he snuck out one night at camp and jumped of the swim dock andf drowned ( great story for using the buddy system by the way).

 

The stories are not really scarey, but do have an edge to them.

 

So, after one of the stories, and I can't remember which one, we got to an area where the canopy of trees knocked aout a bunch of light. STill not completely dark, but way darker than the rest of the hike.

 

About this tgime, a few of the youngest scouts decided that they would be safer walking behind me. I was about 2/3 of the way back as our ACM was leading the hike.

 

After a few feet into the natural tunnel like area, I fel a small hand grab mine and hold on. I looked down and a Tiger Cub was holding my hand.

 

What happened after that just blew me away:

 

The tiger looked at me and said: "I feel safer walking with you."

I said something about the dark not being nearly as scarey as your own imagination,

and then he says to me:

 

"You know that you are my hero don't you?"

 

So I asked him why I was his hero.

 

"Cause you are always happy to see us at meetings and when we do stuff, you always joke

with us and you are nice to us. I also like the songs you sing and because you act silly with us."

 

WOW! I didn't expect that at all!

 

Funny thing is this: Even thought I will jump up and act silly with the boys, I always get apprehensive a few hours before a pack meeting. I start thinking...well over thinking what I'm gonna do about 3 doys out from trhe meetings.

 

During den meeting nights, I stil show up in full uniform and I will greet the boys, joke around and answer their questions. I ask them what they happen to be working on and congraduloate them and give them encouragement too.

 

But I never really knew how far that went until this past weekend.

 

 

 

Man, I love this job!

[kbandit 10]

Thank you for what you do. Great story. Sounds like you are doing a Great Job.

[momof2cubs 10]

I think I'm gonna cry!

[AlamanceScouter 10]

Great story!

 

I love it when one my cubs see me out someplace and run up and give me one of the 3rd grade boy half hugs......makes my day.

[saschuster 10]

And That is what we do this for! Great story, thanks so much for sharing even though I was almost in tears reading it. I love to hear those kinds of things. I think I said this before, if you ever move to the Atlanta area, look me up, we need more dedicated leader like you!

 

I have been involved in my sons pack for only two years and I did it because no one else would. I started as a Wolf leader, was talking into committee chair a few months later and just finished my second weekend at Wood Badge. I now have a completely different way of looking at scouting and what all of you as leaders do and why you do it. I always knew this was something I did for my son, but it didn't click until our class was standing around the campfire Saturday night talking about how scouting has changed their life.

[AnnLaurelB 10]

AWWWWWWW! So sweet! :0) You need to write/print that out, and keep a scrapbook or something!

 

My son's Wolf den meets at my house on Mondays; one of my guys has a big brother in Web2, and he has to tag along to those Den meetings on Tuesdays.

 

Last night, he said, "Miss Laurel, are you gonna be at my brother's meeting tomorrow?"

 

When I told him no, I wouldn't be, he *tsked* and said, "Awh, MAAAAAN!" It's nice to be appreciated!

[Monkey Tamer 19]

SF,

 

NICE!

 

For all the struggles, the personality disputes, the conflicts with other clubs and sports, the thousands of details to manage and the inevitable problems that pop up to derail the best-laid plans, for all the disappointments and heartbreaks that this job can deal you, there is no better paying job on earth when the wages are stories like these.

 

Kudos to you for being flexible and positive enough to change plans on the fly and still hold a good camp-out, and for being a hero to your boys! Good demonstration of the Tom Highway motto: Adapt, Overcome, Improvise!

 

I've often said that I have a secret CM's retirement account. I'll share it with you: I plan on dusting off my old CM shirt and attending every one of my boys' Eagle ceremonies, wherever they are. Looking forward to "retirement" for a good many years.

 

Cheers!