An Unexpected Journey

While I was growing up around two brothers I saw scouting going on all around me. I saw the efforts they made as well as my parents, to get them through the scouting program. I can safely say that I never fully appreciated the amount of work for all parties, it took to get them through the scouting process. As a mother with three boys who are moving through scouting one right after another, I am beginning to see the sacrifice, love, and determination it takes for the boys, parents, and leaders to get them to the ultimate goal, which is their Eagle.







Cub Scouts, although not easy, I like to think of as the honeymoon period of scouting. Yes there are the few tense days and nights of trying to get those Pinewood derby cars ready for the big race and the mad dash to make an original work of art cake for the auction. Those are tense times, but those boys are so excited and they light up at the mention of their den meetings and the duties that come with them.




Then, there comes the day when they graduate and move on into Boy Scouts. These days are equally as fun however, they are filled with more work, time, and sacrifice then I could have ever imagined. There are the camping trips we get ready for, which in our case, requires the best winter protection imaginable that gets packed, unpacked, washed and then packed again. There are the last minute dashes to the pool to complete the swimming merit badge requirements since the board of review is the following day, and that is all that is holding your scout back from a scouting rank advancement. The nights of the court of honors are so rewarding when that constant running and hard work pays off for both us as parents and these precious scouts. Mason had such a night last night when he earned his Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Advancement Badges. What a smile on that kid's face, and I am sure it was mirrored in his parents' faces as well. What an amazing feeling it is to know, that although the road is not going to be easy, he is only three ranks away from that Eagle!





It will take sweat, probably a little blood, and some tears to get there but it is worth it!! I have such a strong testimony of Scouting because I know that if these boys can do this, they will be prepared for all of the new challenges and paths of life that come their way. What amazing missionaries, husbands, and fathers they can become if they learn to fight and work hard for something great! It is not a journey that I expected to be quite so difficult but it is a journey that I know will be worth it and that I am glad we are taking!!