My Fourth

We gathered about an hour before the parade started, in slot number 30. I'd hoped for more boys, but Josh showed up, and Logan and Zach and Austin and Phil. Another boy, Chris, showed up, even though he was in another pack, and marched with us.

The parade route was about a mile and a half long, and we exhausted the beads we had about three-quarters of the way through. I'd tried to put them on the first kid I gave them to, a little girl who didn't have any. Her father got irritated and took them from me and said "thank you" with a little more attitude than necessary. The rest of the parents were happy when their kids got beads.

I'm new at CubMaster and I had to throw this together in a week (most of which I wasn't around for) because no one else did. Next year, the communication will be better and we'll have budget for more beads and hopefully more kids.

It was hot--it's July in Florida; that's the rules. I have salt rings in the shirt I wore under my scout uniform shirt and it's still damp. As I walked back, I met up with Chris's mom. He was in day camp, too, and was a lot of fun to have around. I told her that, and she seemed very happy to hear it. Unfortunately, this was probably his last event in Scouting. He's a great kid.

I'm not an enthusiastic person. I don't get excited about stuff. I'm excited about these kids. They're good kids. Really good kids. Every time I'm with them, I come away happier than when I started.

I came away happier again today. The last item in the Beatitudes for Leaders says "Blessed is the leader who considers leadership an opportunity for service." I hope that I see it that way. And I hope that I honor the opportunity for service I've been given with these kids.