Wrapping Up My Boy Scout Volunteer Job

As I write this, I'm offically finished with my Boy Scout volunteer job with this Troop. (I can't believe it.) I have been Advancement Chair for just over two years.

This morning I paused from decluttering and packing in order to prepare the awards for today's last Court of  Honor at the year-end family picnic. There were less than ten awards this time, which is nothing compared to the one hundred plus I handled in April.

When I finished those preparations I went through all my materials and supplies to take out everything that would be passed on to the mother who is taking the job over for me. We met twice in the last two weeks, and she's been fully trained by me including using the online software that our Council requires. She's happy to take on the job and she is confident she can do the job well.

As I wrapped everything up I also was packing everything we needed for the picnic: the chairs, the drinks, and other small preparations. In the few minutes between then and when I'd tell my sons it was time to get in the car I got a little weepy. I'm not stopping this job because I'm burned out or incompetent, I can do it well and I enjoy it. I just have to stop since we're moving out of state.

I love this Troop and am grateful for the experiences that both of my kids have had with this Troop. I also, in my role as parent and volunteer, have gotten to know the parents, especially the people in leadership positions who I've worked with. We've camped together and our two separate weeks at resident camp provided not only lots of laughs but some really bonding experiences. There's nothing like a late night evacuation due to high winds and thunderstorms and being shut into a dining hall with hundreds of Scouts and adults for hours in about a hundred degree humid room to make a memory. Shared negative experiences are perhaps more bonding than shared positive ones. I think that's why Scouting can be so good for boys: when they camp together once a month all kinds of things can and do happen which bring them closer together.

I am sure my older son will make his Eagle rank and it pains me to think that this last and hardest part of his Scout journey will not be with the excellent leaders of this Troop. He'll not be able to do his project here in the community where he's grown up. Also, we will not be here for the Eagle Court of Homor ceremonies of the boys I have seen grow up right in front of my eyes. A handful are months away from finishing their Eagle project and we'll miss it. I'm also disappointed that I'll not make an Eagle Court later this month as I'll be in Houston looking for rental properties and for potential homes to buy hopefully in the near future.

I can't believe we are really moving and leaving everything behind. I have no idea what we are stepping into when we arrive at our new home. I'm worried we'll struggle to make connections with decent people. I'm hoping that Boy Scouts will be one way that my kids make new friends and start to plant roots in Houston.

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We had a great time at the family picnic. It was the best weather we've ever had, the rain stayed away and it was overcast and in the 60s, so it was comfortable and not hot nor too humid. I missed my husband and wished he was there, but I was not lonely or bored. People seemed to make an effort to talk to me as they know we're leaving. Our move was a natural topic to discuss. Everyone was so supportive. We had a lot of laughs about things like trying to sell a house, trying to buy a house, renovating houses, and many other topics. We talked about stress and the need for relaxation time and about how we all like to go to Cape Cod and wish we could go there on vacation more often.

My kids had a great time and were so independent. My older son ran for the second highest leadership position (because we thought we'd be here through the end of the year) and he had four people running against him (if he knew that he may not have bothered to have run as the competition was stiff). He didn't win but he didn't seem upset. Our situation has changed since the day of the elections and he probably won't be here to do the job anyway, so it doesn't really matter anyway.

I knew it was coming: that my older son would soon blow up about the move tonight. After such a great day today preceded by a fun sleepover at a friend's house immediately preceded by a daytime visit with another friend, preceeded by a sleepover with a group of kids from homeschool co-op which included being stranded in a severe thunderstorm... I knew he'd reach a crescendo of emotion tonight and he would melt down, not wanting to leave all of this behind. I can't blame him really for feeling those emotions. When he was speaking to my husband on the phone it happened. My husband didn't handle it well as he took personal offense. I look at it differently: that we are all entitled to our emotions and we should be able to communicate and share them (politely). I do not feel that suppression of emotion should be done in an attempt to please some other person (such as covering up the truth and presenting a false face that you think the other person would find more pleasing.

But the fact of the matter is there is nothing that can be done about it, we're moving and that's that. We have good lives and we are making a change that will help us remain in a good place. Really, our situation should not be anything to complain about, it's just what it is: having to move in order to continue working to financially support the family. This is not an uncommon situation for an American family. With that said it is normal to feel sad about leaving everything we know behind.

This evening I'm sad about leaving and worried about what we're stepping into. I hope in the end this is all worth it and that things turn out well when everything is more stable. I can't wait to get back to having ordinary days again. Ordinary days are great days.