My little Arrowhead

I am so filled with pride this morning. (I really don't see how pride like this can be a sin, btw.)

Little J is away at Boy Scout Camp all week this week. This is his fourth year and for those of you familiar with scouting, his rank is Star Scout (only two steps away from Eagle). He's 14. Anyway, last night was family night at camp. I made a cake that looked like an American flag (blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream...yumm) and took it for the family pitch-in dinner. Their camp is nearly two hours away by car, the last half hour or so on windy gravel roads in the woods.

Anyway, Little J (who actually isn't very little anymore - he's passed me up on height) is one of the older scouts now and I can see he's becoming a leader to the younger ones. He buzzes around talking to everyone. He's not the wallflower type, that's for sure.

But the best part of the evening was at dusk when they had the "tapping out" ceremony for the Order of the Arrow. It was reminiscent of a Native American ceremony. They began by lighting torches facing each of the 4 directions (N, S, E, W) with a blessing to each and to Mother Earth and I whispered to Big J that I was reminded of a UU service I attended a few weeks ago. LOL There is a huge bonfire in the center and it is done at dark so the whole thing is done by firelight in the middle of the woods. Very cool.

So there were 6 troops present...probably about 150 boys. The point of the ceremony is to "tap out" those scouts who have been chosen to join the Order of the Arrow. There were two boys and one leader chosen from Little J's troop and he was one of them. The leaders of the Order of the Arrow circle around the boys and someone stands behind the selected ones holding a cloth arrow pointing to each one. The leaders stop, tap the boy, and he is taken aside. Our scoutmaster let me be the one to hold the arrow over Little J's head and it was really cool. I was overcome by feelings that my son is becoming a man.

I have not always seen eye to eye with the BSA, but I can't help but be proud of my son and the man he's becoming.