This past weekend, we here in the US celebrated Memorial Day where we honor those who have served our country. As is becoming our Troop 283 tradition, we helped the American Legion Post 118 in Wayzata decorate the graves in nearby Summit Park Cemetery with a flag celebrating each veteran. We almost missed it this year because, as it turns out, the gentleman who has organized it for years passed away. That first made me sad, but then I remembered why we do this service project to begin with. It is because he asked us in 2015, our Troop's 100th Anniversary, if we could lend our 'youth' to assist the 'seniors' in this important recognition.
Why do I mention this part of the story instead of commenting and thanking our 10 Scouts and 4 leaders that came to help with the 98 graves we marked? Because it is not so much the work we did, the new friendships we made, or the fun we had, rather it is the legacy that this veteran did for those that came before him. In his case, he made sure that the veterans in this cemetery are not forgotten. And now we honor him because we are following through on his wishes to honor Wayzata's veterans.
The reason I chose to write about legacies is that we are on the cusp of recognizing our Senior Class of Troop 283. We have many Eagles again this year, and I am grateful for each of these Scouts. I have watched them grow and mature into the young men of our Troop that led many of our current Scouts in rank advancement, skill lessons and adventure trips they'll talk about for years to come. Each of these Eagles has also left his mark on our community through a service project - from gardens alive with pollinators to new canoe racks for our local park district, each of these projects is leaving a legacy around us even as they leave and head off to college, technical schools, the military and jobs.
So, as we enter into our summer months of no homework and new adventures of a lifetime, I want us all to think about: what is our legacy as Scouts? What is our Troop legacy? How will others remember you? How will they know you were here? What mark will you leave behind? What is and will be your legacy as a Scout?
Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Smith
Why do I mention this part of the story instead of commenting and thanking our 10 Scouts and 4 leaders that came to help with the 98 graves we marked? Because it is not so much the work we did, the new friendships we made, or the fun we had, rather it is the legacy that this veteran did for those that came before him. In his case, he made sure that the veterans in this cemetery are not forgotten. And now we honor him because we are following through on his wishes to honor Wayzata's veterans.
The reason I chose to write about legacies is that we are on the cusp of recognizing our Senior Class of Troop 283. We have many Eagles again this year, and I am grateful for each of these Scouts. I have watched them grow and mature into the young men of our Troop that led many of our current Scouts in rank advancement, skill lessons and adventure trips they'll talk about for years to come. Each of these Eagles has also left his mark on our community through a service project - from gardens alive with pollinators to new canoe racks for our local park district, each of these projects is leaving a legacy around us even as they leave and head off to college, technical schools, the military and jobs.
So, as we enter into our summer months of no homework and new adventures of a lifetime, I want us all to think about: what is our legacy as Scouts? What is our Troop legacy? How will others remember you? How will they know you were here? What mark will you leave behind? What is and will be your legacy as a Scout?
Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Smith
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