Back Again Where He Belongs

Two years ago, a tornado destroyed much of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch that Mr. C was at last week. This is a Chapel they built on the site where the boys took shelter during the storm and four scouts were killed when the building collapsed. The wood for the walls comes from trees that fell during the storm. Mr. C said that the parents of the boys who died came to the site on Friday night (the 2nd Anniversary of the Tornado) to pay their respects.

Knowing that Mr. C was sleeping and living in that exact area two years later makes his homecoming even more bittersweet. Thrilled that my child was not there and heartbroken for those four mothers who so much wanted the homecoming we received!

Mr C is back where he belongs; Home Sweet Home.

We picked him up Saturday Morning from Boy Scout Leadership Camp a little lighter in pant size, but with a backpack that weighed probably ten-fifteen more pounds due to the "water content" alone.

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It rained almost every night and Friday night's rain was one of the hardest of the week. Let's just say that picking him up at 9 am left little time for the sleeping bag, tent or clothing to dry. Carrying his pack up to the pickup spot, he looked exhausted and spent. It took everything not to run up to him and grab the pack off his back and help him, but it was all part of the process. Learning to do it himself and trusting that he had the ability, strength and determination to complete it strong!

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In complete disclosure, it took both my husband and my dad to help carry the pack to the trunk of the car. It was that heavy. When we arrived home, we had about a quart of water that pooled where the pack had been.

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Amazingly the tent, sleeping bag and gear all dried out without damage. His clothing and supplies were wet, but not ruined. Mr. C had done a great job of keeping the water from destroying his things. A few hours of drying on our lawn and driveway and the tent looked as good as new and the gear cleaned up perfect. Of course now that Miss A and Miss M know that we can set the tent up in the lawn, they are thinking of "camping" in the backyard this summer.

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After a week of tons of rain, we were expecting the worse, but Mr. C proved himself a real Scout. He came home having learned a ton of new skills, gained confidence in himself as a leader and enjoyed the experience. He's even said he's willing to go to camp again even though this has never been his favorite part of Scouting. Next summer, he's thinking of signing up for a High Adventure Camp which before last week, he'd never even considered.

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To celebrate Mr. C's return on Saturday Night, we had Root Beer Floats and watched the Toy Story I and II Marathon on TV. It doesn't seem all that long ago that Mr. C was running around the house with his Toy Buzz Lightyear yelling: "Too Infinity and Beyond!

Now he's learning not only how to survive in harsh weather, but to do it with style. We are so proud of him!!

A reference to Buzz Lightyear's Famous Phrase: "It's not flying, it's falling with style"