Category Archives: Eagle Scout

Brunch with Santa, Eagle Scouts rule!

I hear from Incline Mike that last weekend he participated in a Brunch with Santa gig up at the lake. Says it was wonderfully refreshing and rejuvenating to hang out with the kids and their parents and feel the love. Reminds me of when our boys were young and though he knew Santa was his main supplier of Christmas gifts, Scott very rarely would actually visit with a Santa or have his picture taken with him… in fact, only once that I can remember did he willingly have his photo taken with Santa.

So, need an extra shot of Holiday Cheer? I suggest you head down to Valley Fair and watch the kids and their parents lining up and having their pics taken with Santa – really warms the heart. Don’t hang around too long, though, or the “special unit” folks may pick you up!

On Sunday Joanne and I attended a ceremony awarding Jim and Jennifer’s son, Sam, (and Sam’s best friend) his Eagle Scout merit. Since neither of our boys were Scouts (and I was thrown out of Cub Scouts at 7 for swearing – I mean, wtf? ;), this was a completely new occasion for us.

The hall was packed – 160+ people of all ages, many of them Scouts and ~10 of them Eagle Scouts – and settled in very quickly. Lots of “routine” Scouting procedures involved ) greeting, flag presentation, review in pics and stories of the awardees Scouting achievements and their dedication to their community, family and friends. A few words by each of the new Eagle Scouts and we were done… maybe an hour +/- in total.

On our way home, Joanne and I talked about how comforting it was to see kids (and the adults in their lives) who are so dedicated to what some would consider some of the “old values”, such as caring for their community, family and friends. And humble… each of these boys – and pretty clearly, all of the other Scout-folks – came across as extremely modest about their participation and achievements… pretty much, “it’s nothing, I just kept doing what I was doing and things turned out ok.”

Pretty stark contrast to what we see on TV and read in the paper everyday, isn’t it? Yeah, I thought so, too.

If ever you receive an invite to attend a Scouting gig, I suggest you accept without a moment’s hesitation – saying the Pledge of Allegiance outloud and being around proactively involved young people is good for the soul.

Thx for stopping by, Happy Holidays and write when you get work.