The Eagle Has Landed



Eagle Scout Alec
(photo by Rob Byron)

We've been worrying about this day for a long time.  There were letters to write, invitations to send, speakers to line up, decorations and memorabilia to locate, food to prepare, rooms to reserve, and pictures to find.  All within the guidelines of proper protocol and regimen, with due pomp and circumstance.  You see, Alec earned his Eagle Scout Rank back in early December, and today he was officially awarded the medal, pins and certificates through his very own, parent-planned, Eagle Court of Honor.

For those unfamiliar with scouting, the true purpose of the Eagle Court of Honor is to make parents feel the pain of all the hard work their son had to go through in order to earn his Eagle Award.  It's also effectively designed to punish parents who do not follow the Boy Scout Motto of "Be Prepared."  And finally, it reveals a lesser known subtext to the Boy Scout Slogan of "Do A Good Turn Daily" by forcing guilty parents, who don't really know how to adequately honor their own son, to "Do A Few Turns Nightly."

Now, please understand, we're very proud of Alec.  We know that this honor will carry with him the rest of his life, and will open doors of opportunity for him.  We also know that the traits of his character that drove him to achieve this honor are the very same traits that will lead him to great accomplishments in life.  Of this we have no doubt.

But when it comes to following true scouting protocol, Christy and I just aren't very good at this stuff.  We really had no idea how to pull this off.  What's the difference between an Eagle Challenge and an Eagle Charge?  Who should present the award?  Who should speak?  Is it proper to schedule this on Super Bowl Weekend? 

Thankfully, we got some help from the internet, and some parents who had been there before.  Then we enlisted the help of family and friends to bring it all together.  Abbie played the piano, Maya led the music, Evan handled the presentation of colors, Grandma Peggy gave the invocation, Justin and I read the letters of commendation, and Christy does what Christy does best - she made sweet things to eat at the end.  That's sort of our go-to back up plan.  When all else fails, give them sugar, and they will forget that you didn't know what you were doing.



Alec's Grandfather Offers Keynote
(Photo by Rob Byron)

 We scored well on a few points.  My father was the keynote, and he did not hide his pride in Alec.  We also made a little video montage of Alec's scouting career and set it to music.  After a few false starts with "Climb Every Mountain", "Shining Star", and "A Moment Like This", we settled into a groove with "Fly Like An Eagle."  Scott Despain did an excellent job explaining the Path To Eagle, and I hear he's available to take that show on the road for a small fee.  Mark Mackelprang tackled the Eagle Challenge well, and Kent Gray made it clear how much he appreciated having Alec in his troop when he presented him with the actual award.  And finally, good Bishop Council gave Alec some good Bishop's counsel.

So, where did we blow it?  Well, you can start with the fact that a camera malfunction meant we had no pictures of his actual Eagle project.  We're thinking when the kids get married, we should probably look into one of those photographer people - just in case my camera phone doesn't work.  And I didn't get a letter of commendation from George Bush or the guy from Dirty Jobs in time.  And we couldn't find his Pine Wood Derby cars (see previous post on the legendary Magic School Bus, without which it just didn't feel right.)

But, all in all, I think we managed to pull it off, although, secretly, I'm glad we only have one more son who could earn the honor.  I have an idea, though.  When it comes time for Evan to select a project for his Eagle, I think he should just plan his Court of Honor.  That would be the greatest act of service I've ever seen.

If not, then hopefully next time, we'll Be Prepared!