Heathen #2 - Arrow of Light

The January Pack Meeting was an ENORMOUS deal for Heathen #2.  After many months of hard work, he was awarded his Arrow of Light during a ceremony.  For those who are not familiar with the Boy Scouts of America, the Arrow of Light is the ONLY award a scout can earn as a Cub Scout and continue to wear on their uniform both as a Boy Scout and as an adult leader.  HUGE DEAL! The Asst. Zookeeper wears the adult patch on his uniform, and Heathen #1 wears the youth patch on his.  Tonight, Heathen #2 was handed his patch!

Patch worn by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts



Patch worn by Adult Leaders

 The Asst. Zookeeper wears the adult patch on his uniform, and Heathen #1 wears the youth patch on his.  Tonight, Heathen #2 was handed his award!

 

Somehow, I managed to be unaware of the ceremony and the parts the scouts were taking until the ceremony began.  Heathen #2 - probably because he loves an audience - was the main narrator while the other den members took care of lighting the candles.

 

MUST have everyone's attention before
we begin.  The Scouts took the ceremony
quite seriously.

 

Reading the seven great virtues of life.

"Webelos Scouts, the emblem you see before you represents the Arrow of Light Award. There are seven rays in the Arrow of Light. As we light the candles representing the rays, you will hear how they stand for the seven great virtues of life.

1. WISDOM - Wisdom does not necessarily mean superior knowledge. It means putting to the right use, the knowledge that one possesses.

2. COURAGE - Courage is not the quality that enables men to meet danger without fear. It is being able to meet danger in spite of one's fear.

3. SELF-CONTROL - Self-control isn't limited to the control of one's temper but control of one's self in all things.

4. JUSTICE - Justice is the practice of dealing fairly with others without prejudice or regard to race, color or creed.

5. FAITH - Faith is the conviction that something unproven by physical evidence is true.

6. HOPE - Hope means to expect with confidence. Always hope for better things to come.

7. LOVE - There are many kinds of love; Love of family, Love of home, Love of

fellowman, Love of god, and Love of country. All these Loves are necessary for a full life.

 

The Scouts lit one candle for each virtue.

 Then was the part of the ceremony that I always worry about - shooting the arrows.  Now, I would like to point out that I don't worry about it BECAUSE the scouts are shooting arrows in a school cafeteria with approximately 80-plus people in the same room.  I don't worry about an arrow finding its way and hitting a person.  I don't worry about damage to school property. 

These are the things that the other mothers worry about - but not me.

I get nauseous and keep my fingers crossed that the boys, who are standing on a stage in front of 80-plus people that include their family and friends, all manage to hit the target.  I've seen the crushed look on other scouts' faces when they miss and I always want to "fix" it somehow.  And the Scouts shooting this evening are all boys that I have known for several years as they are all part of the same den.  Fingers crossed on both hands!

Heathen #1 took this photo for me from the floor as
Heathen #2 was preparing to shoot.

The Asst. Zookeeper and I were on stage
with Heathen #2 - where I managed to
snap this quick photo before he let the arrow fly.

 Here's where I admit that I am a terrible person:  I know that Heathen #2 hit the target with his arrow.  Neither Heathen #1 nor I managed to get a photo of that - too many people moving around.  I was so proud that I quite paying attention to the other Scouts still shooting!  I have no idea if everyone else hit their targets or not.  But Heathen #2 did!

Waiting for his name to be called!

The Cubmaster (Heathen #2's uncle!) handed the award to the
Asst. Zookeeper, who then presented it to his son. 

Not proud of our Heathen AT ALL!

It seems strange to look back through the photos now that the ceremony was over.  When Heathen #1 went through his ceremony, Heathen #2 was just a Tiger Cub and I remember he looked so little sitting on the floor watching the older boys.  And Heathen #3 was still in preschool.  This time, Heathen #1 was a Boy Scout and the "responsible" person that I handed my camera to during the ceremony.  Heathen #3 was a Wolf Cub and watched the ceremony with big eyes. 

Heathen #2 had a triumphant evening and the Asst. Zookeeper and I were very proud of him.  Well done, Heathen.