>I just came home from our Blue and Gold dinner….that in itself rocked the house. The dinner was at our usual place, Legend’s in DePere. We had the same dinner, and yes, there were service issues, but nothing was going to get me in a bad mood…ya see, I knew that I was getting 6 Webelos to start my troop…
All the care in planning was done by my troop’s CC, who is still the 4th grade Webleos Den Leader. He took great care to make sure that Sonia and I didn’t have to do anything other than enjoy the night and watch our oldest son crossover. That was really nice to eat and socialize for the first time in 5 years. We enjoyed the chicken, taters, dressing and all the fixin’s. That was the 2nd cool thing of the night…
The MC of the event did an awesome job in directing the scouts to their various tasks for the night, and the Den Leaders kept all things going….maybe not a well-oiled machine, but do we want machines? No….
As the night progressed and the plates became more empty, our CM got up and gave a quick CM’s minute, a nice story about LBP and the anniversary of scouting. Then my wife, the CC, got up and gave a “state of the pack” address, and mentioned all the things that the pack had accomplished in the past year…100% crossover to troops, 100% leaders with most or all of their training complete, assistants in every den, our strong outdoor program and things like that…all things that will make for me to have a strong troop.
Then came the adult recognitions, with the CM recognizing all of the den leaders…she handed out a couple of plaques to a parent/former leader who put in a lot of years and run 3 boys through the pack. She also handed the WB II Den leader a plaque for being there for the kids, and then the boys gave him a walking stick, that the scouts all signed and then sealed with polyurethane.
Then something else…I got called up to the front, and I was presented with a plaque for helping the pack for the last 5 years…that was the 3rd cool thing of the night. I got choked up and said thanks, and walked back to my table.
The boys all received their awards, and then a nice ceremony was done by the younger scouts and the leaders, in preparation for the AOL/Crossover ceremony. That was the 4th cool thing of the night…
As I stood on the other end of the bridge, with my Troop 1363 Ceremony Box, I anxiously waited for the 5th cool thing of the night…for my new troop members to become Boy Scouts. As I placed each neckerchief on each boy, I made a special comment to each of them…they were my boys, boys that I have been training for 5 1/2 years, and now, I would help mold them into young, respectful men…with the last one being my oldest son, Ethan…he crossed, I put the necker and slide on him and he shook my hand, as Scout/Scoutmaster…then I hugged him hard as a very proud Dad…6th cool thing of the night…
If you are keeping track, you may wonder what the 1st cool thing of the night….
Well, just before I left for the BG dinner, I received a Skype call from my friend, Scouting Radio’s Commissioner Keith….he congratulated me and I replied “For what? my new troop? Thanks…”
He said, “No, the district has awarded you the Scouter’s Knot. I am calling you because I wanted to tell you in person.”
I was stunned, surprised…not able to really comprehend what this meant…
As most of you know, about a year ago, I was done with the district, almost considered “blacklisted”…and now, I don’t know what to call it…redemption?
I don’t know what to make of it, but a friend said to me about a year ago…”Screw ‘em…the powers that be made a big mistake, and once they see that the ‘Cleary Scouting Machine’ isn’t running in the district, the rumbles will start…stay the course, buddy.” And here I am…coming full-circle….so that was the 1st cool thing…
Hence, today was the BSD ever….Best Scouting Day ever…
