A New Adventure

I have been given the opportunity to make even more of a difference in my life, my sons lives and the lives of many other boys and parents as well. A few weeks ago I received a call, the timing was exactly right. The subject was something I had been thinking about for a few weeks, and I was in the right place in my head when the call came. Her name was Judith, and her call went something like this. "Stu, I have a question for you and I need you to say yes." My immediate response was a resounding, "Uh oh!" She countered with, "I need you to to be an ASM." My response, with no extra thought was, "Sure." I think she almost fell over with how easy the sell was.

An ASM you ask? What's that? Let me fill you in. ASM stands for Assistance Scout Master. Yes, that's right, I am now one of the adult guides (I would say leaders, but that would be wrong) for Daniel's Boy Scout Troop, which is also the Troop that Josh will join when it is his time. BSA Troop 117, like all BSA Troops, is boy led. What that means is that we as adult leaders/guides need to learn how to stand back and just gently nudge, allow mistakes to happen in a safe environment, and learn from the boys as they learn from us and each other. I spent all day Saturday getting trained. I've got my patches all sewn on my uniform and the iron heats up quickly when I need it. I look gooooood.

I am excited about this opportunity to help make a difference and to take new steps with my sons. I hope they are at least a little excited about this as well.