The final scout picnic today (Sat, June 6). Love this shot of them with all their attention on something, whatever it was, but it caught their eye. The teenager will finish his Eagle project this summer, but other than that, he's basically finished with scouts at this point. Scouts has served him well. Made for a lot of growth opportunities for him. And been a fantastic connection between him and dh who has been the assistant scout master for years. Neither of them would trade that time for anything. From monthly camping trips to a week at Philmont (first time without a parent along), a week cycling the C&O Canal (MOM did that one!), a week at Northern Tier (Dad canoe'd that one with him), a week at Jamboree, scout camp each summer, and leadership within the troop, this has been the biggest influence in his life and the best experiences he could have had. After spending a week on the C&O Canal with a group of the scouts, being the only female on the trip, biking thru mud and rain and being covered in mud from head to toe, visiting at least half the port-a-johns along the trail, pitching a tent each night somewhere along the trail, NOT FIXING MY HAIR FOR A WEEK, bathing in the river on the days I was lucky enough to actually bathe ... I have to say that I now believe everyone, everyone, would benefit from being a scout. You learn that you can DO and PUT UP WITH more than you ever thought you could. I'm grateful that he has had the opportunity to be a part of the whole scouting experience. I'm grateful that he and his dad have had the opportunity to bond thru the years in this. I'm grateful that they were willing to include me on one of the big trips. And I'm seriously going to miss scouting being a part of our lives. DH says he's going to continue being part of the troop even tho the teenager is moving on, and the troop will be blessed by that decision. He has a heart for those boys!
