At the time of writting this, my mom passed away at Jasper (IN) Memorial Hospital. She died due to complications with a long-time illness. Please pray for my family. I write this in tribute to her
To me, part of my success as a Scout came in three parts. 1 Part Mike Pridemore-my old Scoutmaster (aka "Mr. P"), 1 part Dad. And especially one part my mom, who my family is mourning today.
Mothers have a special place in Scouting. I know that Mother's Day has already passed, but we need to honor them daily. As I think about my mother, if I had a problem (sickness), she would often tell me "go see a doctor". Often times, I would NOT listen to her until I was very sick. BUT, I would see the doctor anyway. (I must admit, I am kinda stubborn). I would regret not listening to her.
As I look in my Eagle Scout Presentation Kit, I see a Mother's Pin. As I see this pin, I would often think about how my mother encouraged me to get this rank. A couple of months ago, We watched a video of my Court of Honor. I asked her "how did it feel when you did that to me". She mentioned that it was an honor. To admit, that is my only source of video documentary of her.
In times like these, I sit back and ponder "what did my momma say and what did she do?" As I think what she said and what she did, I hope that what she said would make me a better person.
I learned alot from her. I worked at a couple of places with her, I drank a few cups of coffee with her, cooked some meals together, washed dishes with her, took her to see Petra at Bedford, IN, and spend a lot of time with her in meaningful conversations.
I hope what she said and what she did would influence me in the future, both as a Scout Leader, but also as a person in general.
Family events and life in general would be different without her. No more fudge at family CHRISTmas events, no more yummy meatloaf, no more great tasting baked beans, can't have someone to talk NASCAR to, can't have someone to talk Soaps (A guilty pleasure of mine), no more.....Well you know. No more having mom around.
Note to mom: I love you! You will be truly be missed.
Sincerely yours in Boy Scouting
Kenneth L. Phillips
Operator, Designer, Webmaster, and Administrator
Scouting Loogootee-BSA Website
