As you can imagine, it's been a whirlwind of a summer.... and it started in May with a trip down to Maryland, of all places, for the BPSA Northeast Region's spring Brownsea Training Camp. It had beena very long winter, so when the invitation for this event came into my inbox, I was really ready to check out of my regular routine, get into uniform, and get Rovering with some like-minded people. I actually almost didn't go, and I'm not sure why... but when the Regional Commissioner asks if you're going, the hosting Group Scoutmaster asks if you're going, it became easier for me to see myself going. I think I was feeling a little overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks of running too many things, which was a sure sign I needed to get away and recharge.
The location of the camp was just inside of Maryland, at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, in Elkton, MD. It turns out, we were a stone's throw away from the Mason-Dixon Line. The area was just beautiful, with vast open fields, surrounded by woods and hills. It was really reminiscent of old-style field camping... all we needed were the tents in a circle around the Scoutmaster's tent and it would have been right out of the early 1900's.
As with the last two Brownsea Training Camps, I did my presentation on the history of BPSA-US, which for the most part is the same presentation I used to do ten years ago, down to the uniform, with a little added on at the end to bring things to present. I always enjoy doing this part of the program, because it gives everyone a sense of being a part of something bigger than themselves. The course participants at this point are connecting with other leaders from other groups, and the fun is just beginning.
The weekend wrapped up on a very positive note. I got to invest another Rover Scout... this time, it was Cindy Kwan from Philadelphia. We spent the night talking intently about all things Rovers, and it was an honor to preside over her knighting ceremony. For me, it's the most energetic part of the weekend, especially when the new Rover Squires get to see something they've never seen before, and something perhaps to look forward to.
Even though I've been through many Brownsea Training Camps by now, I always go home recharged. I come away feeling like a better person. There is no real way to put it into words. In other areas of my life, i.e. with my gay brothers and sisters, we often refer to our "chosen family," mostly because we came out into a world based on societal rejection. For me, I've come to realize that the Scouters I'm meeting are becoming like a family to me too. It's refreshing because it rests on a positive basis of mutual respect and friendship, and choice. I am really lucky to be able to have Scouting in my life again, especially when I thought at one point, it would never come to be. When you do without for so long, you learn to appreciate what you have, when you get to have it again.
To view more photos, view my online album.
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