Special People.

[Eamonn]

I at times wonder what non Scouting types, who land on this site think of us?

Don't get me wrong I don't lose any sleep over it. I just think that they must think that we are all very up tight and spend our time worrying about Uniforms and BOR's. I wonder if we come off as the caring special people that many /most of us are?

While very few of us might qualify as being "Wild and Crazy", I think many of us have a hero, someone or maybe a mix of someones that we would like to be like.

I thank the Good Lord that he has through Scouting allowed me to get to know some very special people. Some have been slightly eccentric, some have been very quite while others have filled every room they ever entered.'

I can't help thinking that of all the things that I have taken from Scouting, being exposed and getting to know these special people is the best.

Looking back even the guys who had very rough exteriors were very kind, once you got past the roughness. Many of these people just loved working with kids, they said they loved working with Scouts, but I can't help thinking that kids came before Scouts. Scouting was just lucky that this is where they hung their hat.

Some of those who post here have parents who served as Scoutmasters or in some-other Scouting position, it must have been wonderful to have one of these special people at home. My Dad never had the time, he was too busy. He was a great person and I loved him dearly. Only he was just my Dad, he never made it to the rank of hero -Not until I became a Dad.

I have yet to work out what made these people special, they came in all shapes and sizes. Some were really fun to be around. Others just showed that they cared.

I went all the way in Scouting, all through Cubbing, all through Boy Scouting, stayed in the Venture unit until I became a Queens Scout and then went to help with a pack before coming back as a Scoutmaster. Everywhere I went I ran into these special people. Not everyone I met qualified, if they had they wouldn't have been special.

I have no idea if one day in years to come if someone Will say that I was a special person. But it would be a great legacy.

Eamonn.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Caring is difficult to communicate in written form but that is the underlying message, if you think about it. Most of what we do is exchange information, so it side-steps allot of personal communication. People engage when they disagree but now that only happens occasionally. The open discussions draw much of the enthusiastic responses. If someone lands here from a far away website, most will just lurk and then run. If they think we spend most of our time thinking of, talking about, and wearing uniforms and attending BOR's and attempting to increase our knowledge about Scouting, then they are correct.

 

Many moons ago, I attended an O.A. meeting. In one corner of the room was a funny looking man wearing a red jacket. He had a round head and always had a large smile. He was everything that I thought an O.A. advisor should be. He was fun, insightful, and had a desire for things to go well in Scouting. He had an easygoing manner and seemed informed about one thing or another. Over a period of years he drifted and his life fell apart. To this day, I still think about Rick and his smile. He was lovable. It is frustrating to think about the loss of such an important individual to Scouting. That is a strange way to think about a person but that what happens once you get lost in Scouting.

 

A physically rough exterior rarely masks the feelings of a person that cares. Most children are not easily fooled when it comes to the important stuff.

 

My Dad was a SM over my brother's Troop for three years. He quit after we moved and didn't return to Scouting where I thought he should have remained. He was too busy with his business. I valued his insights and knowledge of people and Scouting. He was given a Scout trophy for service that represented to me the highest award possible. I wanted to achieve what he had achieved to be like him. I achieved that and more but somehow I never made it to where he had been. I don't know the reason other than the heights he soared to were not the same as mine. Mine were only similar but the things I found were still remarkable. Sometimes, I wish I could have shared with him the places I had found but time and a close friendship escaped us both.

 

I too made it through Cubbing and through Boy Scouting. I remained with the unit and worked in the O.A. until I graduated. I helped start and build an Indian Dance team in our area. We learned together and built costume, danced, and traveled. Time could have remained right there for me. Scouting had become my world.

 

Special people, I have an honor roll of Special people. It is quite long and so many are on it. Some took me longer to appreciate than others. I could write stories for hours about them. Some of the things appear mundane, some are funny and others are just outright spectacular but all are very special.

 

Am I on someone's special list? I don't see myself as a hero but I know that I have made an impact on the lives of several Scouts and a few adults. They surely have made an impact on me and helped to change my life. My desire now is to be a good Scout Leader. I will do my best.

 

FB