A good day to reflect on life
Today is a day I will spend reflecting on my life.
The rest of my family is at church camp this week and I have been home alone, wishing I were with them. While I have not been to a church camp since I was 9, camping has been a huge part of my life. Most of it has been with the Boy Scouts.
Working at a Boy Scout camp stirs up some very fond memories – some of the best times of my life. That is part of the reason for the introspection. Missing my family is another part.
I first discovered Ben Delatour Scout Ranch near Red Feather Lakes, Colo., in 1977 as a Webelo Scout. I returned there for several years as a Boy Scout in Troop 161. In 1982 I joined the staff as a kitchen worker. I returned three of the next four years as a mountain man, teaching wilderness survival and Indian lore.
I was last there in 2005, ending three years in a row as a Cubmaster and parent. I came full circle, having experienced the camp as a camper, staffer and parent.
The best times of my young life were spent on staff up there. It was a coming of age experience that few of my peers can relate to. For two months each summer I lived in a tee-pee in the Rocky Mountains, dressed in buckskins and was on my own – more or less.
The father of one of my colleagues owned a group of movie theaters in Fort Collins, so most weekends were spent down there doing laundry, watching free flicks and consuming generous portions of pizza and beverage.
Each year we would spend one weekend up in Wyoming at Cheyenne Frontier Days. One time some buddies and I found an unlocked gate and we snuck in to see the Oak Ridge Boys in concert.
Granted, we were Boys Scouts but we were also teenage boys away from home for the first time. We did a lot of un-Boy Scout kinds of things. I’m not proud of some of those exploits. Yet those were experiences that helped shape who I am today.
I consider those days as among the best in my life. There have been many milestones and accomplishments that surpass even that. Weddings, the birth of children and home ownership are obvious ones. So are moving and living in different parts of the country.
I have been on two week-long, 50-mile canoe trips (thanks to the Scouts). I have watched the space shuttle launch and have met and interviewed numerous astronauts. I have met more celebrities, politicians and religious figures than I can count. I’ve been to nearly 40 states, have seen the Grand Canyon and been to Disneyland and Disney World. I have climbed 14,000-foot mountains and swam in two oceans and the gulf.
I have photographed professional football from the sidelines. I have flown in hot air balloons and stunt planes. I own the Lone Ranger Fan Club. Ten years ago this week I was on a mission trip in Honduras. Also 10 years ago, I was at the first Star Wars Celebration in Denver. That’s where I asked Sandy to marry me.
I was at Stand in the Gap with Promise Keepers in 1997. I have been to many Promise Keepers events as a participant, volunteer and reporter.
I grew up on a hobby farm and have had the experience of milking cows and goats and raising rabbits by the hundreds. I’ve been a beekeeper. I’ve been a hunter, fisher and a three-sport athlete (make that a three-sport benchwarmer).
Among the odd jobs I’ve had, I’ve been a ticket taker for the Colorado Rockies, a stable hand, in management at a pizza place, a warehouse worker and I’ve been Santa Claus at a mall.
I guess you could say I’m bragging. Maybe I am. It’s just that there are times when you have to stop and reflect on what’s gone on before and try to anticipate what’s ahead.
Whenever I get down and feel my life has been a waste, I can look back and see that it really has been an exciting adventure. Looking ahead, I know that God has much in store for me. My oldest child is two years away from graduating high school. My youngest is starting first grade this fall.
There are books I want to write and places I want to go and more things I want to experience – like scuba diving and skydiving.
I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary in December. Today I mark the fifth anniversary of my 39th birthday. There are times I never thought I’d make it this far and other times when I feel like I’ve just begun.
But no matter what I have done or have yet to do, I take great comfort in knowing I will have life in paradise with Jesus once this life is over. And nothing would make me happier or be a bigger accomplishment than to bring others along for the ride.
The rest of my family is at church camp this week and I have been home alone, wishing I were with them. While I have not been to a church camp since I was 9, camping has been a huge part of my life. Most of it has been with the Boy Scouts.
Working at a Boy Scout camp stirs up some very fond memories – some of the best times of my life. That is part of the reason for the introspection. Missing my family is another part.
I first discovered Ben Delatour Scout Ranch near Red Feather Lakes, Colo., in 1977 as a Webelo Scout. I returned there for several years as a Boy Scout in Troop 161. In 1982 I joined the staff as a kitchen worker. I returned three of the next four years as a mountain man, teaching wilderness survival and Indian lore.
I was last there in 2005, ending three years in a row as a Cubmaster and parent. I came full circle, having experienced the camp as a camper, staffer and parent.
The best times of my young life were spent on staff up there. It was a coming of age experience that few of my peers can relate to. For two months each summer I lived in a tee-pee in the Rocky Mountains, dressed in buckskins and was on my own – more or less.
The father of one of my colleagues owned a group of movie theaters in Fort Collins, so most weekends were spent down there doing laundry, watching free flicks and consuming generous portions of pizza and beverage.
Each year we would spend one weekend up in Wyoming at Cheyenne Frontier Days. One time some buddies and I found an unlocked gate and we snuck in to see the Oak Ridge Boys in concert.
Granted, we were Boys Scouts but we were also teenage boys away from home for the first time. We did a lot of un-Boy Scout kinds of things. I’m not proud of some of those exploits. Yet those were experiences that helped shape who I am today.
I consider those days as among the best in my life. There have been many milestones and accomplishments that surpass even that. Weddings, the birth of children and home ownership are obvious ones. So are moving and living in different parts of the country.
I have been on two week-long, 50-mile canoe trips (thanks to the Scouts). I have watched the space shuttle launch and have met and interviewed numerous astronauts. I have met more celebrities, politicians and religious figures than I can count. I’ve been to nearly 40 states, have seen the Grand Canyon and been to Disneyland and Disney World. I have climbed 14,000-foot mountains and swam in two oceans and the gulf.
I have photographed professional football from the sidelines. I have flown in hot air balloons and stunt planes. I own the Lone Ranger Fan Club. Ten years ago this week I was on a mission trip in Honduras. Also 10 years ago, I was at the first Star Wars Celebration in Denver. That’s where I asked Sandy to marry me.
I was at Stand in the Gap with Promise Keepers in 1997. I have been to many Promise Keepers events as a participant, volunteer and reporter.
I grew up on a hobby farm and have had the experience of milking cows and goats and raising rabbits by the hundreds. I’ve been a beekeeper. I’ve been a hunter, fisher and a three-sport athlete (make that a three-sport benchwarmer).
Among the odd jobs I’ve had, I’ve been a ticket taker for the Colorado Rockies, a stable hand, in management at a pizza place, a warehouse worker and I’ve been Santa Claus at a mall.
I guess you could say I’m bragging. Maybe I am. It’s just that there are times when you have to stop and reflect on what’s gone on before and try to anticipate what’s ahead.
Whenever I get down and feel my life has been a waste, I can look back and see that it really has been an exciting adventure. Looking ahead, I know that God has much in store for me. My oldest child is two years away from graduating high school. My youngest is starting first grade this fall.
There are books I want to write and places I want to go and more things I want to experience – like scuba diving and skydiving.
I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary in December. Today I mark the fifth anniversary of my 39th birthday. There are times I never thought I’d make it this far and other times when I feel like I’ve just begun.
But no matter what I have done or have yet to do, I take great comfort in knowing I will have life in paradise with Jesus once this life is over. And nothing would make me happier or be a bigger accomplishment than to bring others along for the ride.
posted by Joe Southern | 8:55 AM
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