but the important thing is that there are still smiles on everyone's faces :)
It will be tough to say goodbye to loved ones tomorrow. It's difficult to deal with ones emotions when half of you is so very excited to go explore the world, and the other half wants to stay with the comfort and shelter of loved ones. Only once have I been gone this long from my wife and family since the day we met. Luckily my days were so jam packed with training for a new job it helped deflect the homesickness I felt, and I'm sure the kids will be just as busy if not more so.
Any and every trip of this magnitude is going to have it's ups and downs. We can only focus on the ups, and downplay the downs. Friendships will be strengthened, new ones will be forged. Limits will be tested...but I've seen these kids in action and I know they are up to the task. A lot of that goes to the strong leadership of the unflappable Scouter Andy (and of course his super loyal support staff). Their commitment to the Scouts program and to the healthy development of these kids is nothing short of extraordinary.
One of the first trips my daughter took with the Scouts was a in the fall, and it was cold and rainy the whole time. My wife and I fought the urge to call and check on her until we could stand it no more. Scouter Andy sent us back a picture of Brynn with a bunch of her fellow scouters all laughing and cheering at the side of a campfire. That one picture alone told me that if he could keep those kids happy in those conditions, then they were in the best possible hands they could be...
The amount of time and effort the entire 1st Binbrook Scouts group has put into fundraising, and preparing for this trip is phenominal. My daughter and I wouldn't even be able to go on this trip had it not been for the efforts they've made. I don't really know about any of the other Scouts groups across Canada, but it's hard to imagine there's a better run group than the 1st Binbrook Scouts. I can't wait to see first hand the real inner workings of this group...
For now though...it's back to packing.
Chat soon,
>K
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