Words to live by...

At the age of 8 I committed to live by these words. They instilled in me a desire to honor those values throughout my life. I memorized them at the age of 8 and have referred to them numerous times throughout my life. I can still repeat them with out hesitation.

Today, I had the opportunity to put on and participate in a Cub Scout camp for all of the cub scouts who live in our area. For those who know anything about where I live, this is a brave challenge to commit too because we have so many children in our neighborhood. We had over 200 boys in attendance. Just image what it is like to entertain 8, 9, 10, and 11 year old boys for 7 hours. :)

Normally, the boys in our area attend an official Cub Scout camp but we received special permission to put on this camp and act on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America.

I love cub scouts. These young boys are enthusiastic, energetic, and willing to do and learn anything. It always amazes me at how smart they are and how quickly they learn to read a compass, tie knots, fold a flag, build a fire and the list can go on. It is totally awesome to see how their eyes gleam when they accomplish something new. They have the biggest smiles on their faces and they deserve all of the praise that comes their way.

Parents would die if they knew the stories I heard about their families today. It makes me smile and happy to know that they love their families. It just drills home, how important the family unit is in the lives of young children.

I am forever grateful to Robert "Baden" Powell for starting the Boy Scout program. I don't think he realizes how many lives he has impacted and the values that he instilled in many boys, young men, men and women who participate in the program.

In our home, we frequently watch the movie "Follow Me Boy's." It is the story of Lem Siddons. He is a musician whose jazz band makes a stop in a small town. He decides to put down his roots in this town. He volunteers to become a scoutmaster. The movie takes you through his experience as he remains a scoutmaster through the remainder of his life. I encourage everyone to watch it.

I am grateful I got to be part of this event during the 100th Anniversary for scouting.

I have one piece of advice for anyone who gets involved with cub scouting - I have learned over the years that cub scouts are constantly moving and you have to stay one step ahead of them or you will be sorry.

Needless to say, I left the event tired but happy!!!