"[The Lord] makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights." - Psalm 18:33
In late February of 1996, my good friend (Richy) and I stood before a gathered crowd of family, friends, community leaders, and peers. Despite our young ages, I distinctly remember nods and smiles throughout the crowd that quietly communicated to us a new respect and validated a young man's maturity. The history of the award set before us almost seemed mythical at times with an achievement rate of only 5% of all Boy Scouts. As well as the fact that men like Gerald Ford, Neil Armstrong, Hank Aaron, Sam Walton, and even Steven Spielberg[a] had reached this accomplishment as an early milestone into their famous landmark careers.
Most young men get involved in a number of things in their adolescent years that prevent them from focusing completely on the goal that sets such a high mark in scouting. Yet we had the upper hand due to our early roots in BSA Troop 27. By GOD's grace, we joined into a group of men that had birthed a strong lineage of past Eagle Scouts. Young men dedicated to learning and teaching survival skills, knot-tying knowhow, fire building speed, foundational values, and above all, campfire culinary proficiency.
As I look back today, I am certainly glad I listened to the teachings and encouragement of scoutmasters as well as fellow scouts years ago. There's not a day that goes by that I don't get an opportunity to use the communication, leadership, practical thinking, or even first aid skills I learned in scouting. Each rank in the BSA has certainly helped form me to who I am today and prepared me to be prepared for life tomorrow.
And over the past 10 years, I more than often find myself reminiscing about the camping and outdoor adventure that was so regular in my youth. Thankfully, I'm not the only one! So, this past weekend I returned to Camp Avondale in Clinton, LA with a group of vaguely familiar faces.
After dedicated planning, generations of our troop's Eagles gathered together once again with our scoutmasters. Sunny, cool weather set the perfect stage for GOD's grace to reunite us after all these years. And it didn't take long for us to catch up on lost time by sharing old camp stories over jambalaya and fishing in Tigator Lake. As the night came in, we dined on apple/pineapple and peach cobblers just like old times.
 Link to Photo SlideShow |
(not pictured, but present: Mike Cox, Dave Vallet, Larry Nalls)
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