Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 21:26:51 -0400 From: BWCTwriter Subject: Love Transcending Ch 2 Comments and/or constructive criticism to bwctadmin@cox.net . Upon returning home, life began to return to normal. The summer ended, school resumed, and the Boy Scouts continued on without Gary and Chris. Nick's father, Chuck, took over as scoutmaster of the troop. He was a preacher at a church in town. Upon his taking the position, he promptly moved the weekly meeting place to the basement of the church. Other things had changed as well. We now began and ended our weekly meetings with the Lord's Prayer, and we would also attend church at the end of our weekend camping trips. It seemed little tacky at first, but no one seemed to mind. I continued learning more new skills during the meetings and overnight camping trips as time passed. Every time I thought about Chris, I would remember the good things, such as spending time with Chris, and that incredible might, as well as the harsh reality that my love was gone forever. In the months that followed, meetings came and went, new Scouts joined the troop, games were played, memories created, and the overall quality of the troop improved. I was surprised that Chuck was able to turn the trip around, and help us earn the respect we deserved. I began to take a more active role in the administration of the troop. I had become a senior patrol leader, which is basically the highest-ranking scout in the troop. I planned and ran the meetings and activities throughout the next few months. It was a learning experience for me. I had always liked working with younger kids, teaching them a new skill, or helping them through a problem or difficult task. It is a wonderful thing to know you can affect on a young man's life. There were a few troubled boys in our troop. They weren't bad kids, they just needed a little extra support. JT was a smart and energetic boy, with a good heart. Unfortunately, he was cursed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. He had trouble concentrating during the meetings, and would often wander away from the group during camping trips. I remember spending extra time with him, sometimes teaching him a new skill which was troubling him, or consoling him when he was feeling left out. There were other boys, some comedians, some were the brain's, some the jokers. Some boys seemed to right their own rules, form new groups. Until you spend time with a group of boys such as those I had the pleasure of knowing, you won't understand how much they appreciate the attention, companionship, and respect they get from a supportive group of such as the Boy Scouts. Here I am on a quest to better the world again. Well, time continued on until it was almost two years since I had seen my beloved Chris. Words cannot express the feelings I felt with him, and without him. I was totally unsuspecting of a plan in the works, one that had been under consideration since Gary and Chris' departure. The trip was informed, one Monday night, that the leaders wanted to plan an activity for the more experienced scouts in the troop. There were various options given to us as choices: a week-long canoe trek through the boundary waters of northern Minnesota, a couple of extra weekend trips to WSR, Winnebago scout reservation, a local camping ground...OK, let's be honest. I don't even remember the other options that we were given. The only thing we were interested in was the canoe trip. Thus, the decision had been made, and plans began setting in motion for the trip to take place from the 19th to the 26th of August. You know, it's interesting that I remembered the exact dates upon which the Trip took place. Maybe it was because I knew that it would be a memorable experience. A few weeks later, now approaching late May, we were informed by Chuck that Gary and Chris would be joining us on the canoe trip. I was shocked and excited by that wonderful news. In just a month and a half, I would be reunited with the boy that I missed so much. A web of fantasy began to spin in my head: things I would say, things we would do, and memories we would create together. As school finished up, and it was approaching late June, we had scheduled a weekend trip to Clear lake, Iowa, a town only nine miles away, to begin learning the skills necessary to be able to perform well on our trip. We learned how to navigate the canoe, which is not as easy as it looks, safety precautions and first aid skills, and other such activities. I was enjoying my time out on the water with my friends, on such a warm and sunny day. Unfortunately, it was little bit to Sunny. A lot of us boys had taken off our shirts in the balmy weather, and logic tells us that being shirtless in an aluminum boat on sunny day can bring severe problems, and many of us came back with quite a substantial sunburn. I was one of the worst off. I was thoroughly burnt to crisp on my shoulders, and majority of my back. It was so bad, that blisters the size of half dollars formed on my shoulders. When I got home, I had to see a doctor and get a prescription for the severe sunburn I incurred on that eventful day. To this day, I have suffered a slight sensitivity, and loss of feeling in the skin of my shoulders and upper back. Luckily, within a couple of weeks, the burn was gone, and new skin replaced the damaged areas. It was almost time to start our journey. Last-minute preparations included going over packing instructions with the Scouts, making driving arrangements, and other such activities. Finally, it was a night before the trip was to begin. My mother, who, bless her heart, is an insufferable nag, harassed me for hours regarding the equipment I was taking. I decided to use my brother's duffel bag, which he had acquired when he was in the Navy. It made me feel cool to have such a bag. Wants my equipment was set, I packed it in the car, so I would have one less thing to do in the morning. It was a rough night of slumber, for the excitement outweighed my need for sleep. In seven short hours, I would be on my way to the most exciting week of my life. As dawn broke, I dragged myself out of bed, and performed my morning ritual, which included a shower, shave, and thorough flogging of the dolphin. Once that task was taken care of, I dressed in my scout uniform, with my camouflage pants, and waterproof boots. I was ready to battle with the lakes and rivers we were about to conquer. Of course, the actual canoeing wasn't set to begin for two days. But that didn't stop everyone from getting excited. We met at Nate's house, loaded our gear into the trailer, and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. As Gary pulled up to the house, having been given a ride by Travis's father, Gene, he and his son exited the car, and walked over to the rest of us. I was a little taken aback by Chris' somewhat dramatic change in appearance. He was obviously in the middle of puberty, having shot up in height, lost every ounce of baby fat, and taken on the traditional look of an awkward teen ravaged by the hormones coursing through his veins. Not to say that was disappointed, but I missed the youthful glow that his face now lacked. I feel bad to think that my first thoughts of him upon our being reunited were negative, but I was definitely glad to see him. He was, is and will always be that beautiful 12 year old I fell in love with. I walked up to him, and greeted him. "Hey, Chris, how ya doin?" "Hey man, what's up?" he responded. We both seemed to be a little nervous over this whole meeting, but I couldn't take another moment apart. As I shook his hand, I pulled him in with my other arm, and gave him a hug that I so much wanted to give. Comments and/or constructive criticism to bwctadmin@cox.net .