Spring has a different meaning for everyone. Some think of the rain and new flowers. Others look for the ability to be outside after the long winter. Some hear the dreaded weekend killing phrase “Spring Cleaning” and look for a reason to put it off.
Not in my case! Spring takes on an entirely different connotation. Camping! Or more specifically, Scouting! Or service! Cleaning the camp after a long winter is a great way to get outside and give back some of the efforts we were lucky enough to receive previously. For my entire adult life and most of my childhood, I have been a Scout. Weekends in the woods were an escape from a regimented life.
I have found many things in the last several decades through scouting. Quiet time for reflection. Places to explore and things to experience. An opportunity to give back and an entirely different generation of friends that have become family, are just a few.
My wife and I recently spent a Saturday cleaning a local Girl Scout Camp. The opportunity to help the camp that has given our family so much was not something we could pass up. It was not work! We have three daughters who were all scouts that attended the camp at one point in time or another. When our last daughter completes her Gold Award, we will have three with the highest achievement they can earn. The camp itself can take credit for some of this achievement.
Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to help a local Boy Scout troop build and dedicate an apple grove. The work was easy enough in the beginning, just a dozen small holes in the ground! It has however taken on a life of its own between constantly mowing the area, pruning the trees, and building fences to hold back the deer. In the fall, when the apples are ripe, we maker cobbler and baked apples in a few Dutch ovens and let the kids enjoy the fruits of their labor.
In short, we are fortunate to say we get far more than we give.
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