Many dads are not Boy Scouts. Moms enjoy family times; but a lot do not really enjoy misquitos, the lack of luxury kitchens that give them when preparing meals, and crawling into a sleeping bag that must be checked for critters. Dad at one time had a marvelous piece of property that took miles to cover when going out horseback riding. A stream with beautiful fish and animals of all kinds. Woods and flat grassy areas that streached out like the Delta farms of Mississippi. He had areas of crops, vegetables, vineards, and even many different orchards. The home place was absolutely amazing! There was everything and anything a man needed to live “off the grid”. The world didn’t need to give him anything as he “had it all”.
One day things changed drastically! This “homeland” would have costed more than any person could afford. But, due to the fact it had been given to my father he only had to obey one single rule. Dad disobeyed that rule and got us all kicked off the property. The owner told my dad he could come back but the problem was the owner had sent his security team out to place us far far away from the homeland to teach him a lesson. The owner gave him a map and a compass with explicit instructions in how to come back and even find supplies along the way. That day was devastating!
The first day of camping began. My dad found himself off the grid again but needing help at the same time! Things became so different. Back home the weather like the rain could be enjoyed; but now it was miserable. The cold, the heat, the search of supplies and the map were all so overwhelming most of the time. My dad had never had to use a compass but the instructions were given and many days he seemed to find joy as we made our trip searching and traveling with tiny accomplishments of recognizing we had successfully ventured to a spot located on the map. Struggles after struggles with few accomplishments. The highlights of many months were the majestic views of the landscape we had never experienced. It was not that we had ever climbed a mountain; but we had never had to climb a mountain and worry about falling off the cliff. Before being kicked off the homeland Dad had made trails for every traveling experience; and danger just never entered our minds.
I and my brothers and sisters were learning many new things; but, learning stuff like fear and being tired and lost were not known to us while living at our previous homeland. We got older and camping was an everyday way of life. I had some siblings that grew up ignoring my Dad’s efforts in teaching them how to read the map and use the compass. My dad even built compasses for each one us as a tool he knew we would each have to have as we ventured out in life on our own someday. I remember one brother who always bucked instructions on how to get back to our homeland. Dad had clearly told him that the way of the “east” was more dangerous than any other way due to the bridge that use to be there was gone. He told him a giant canyon with many venomous snakes covered that area and we should always avoid that route. He did not like listening and his entire life he ridiculed Dad at map reading and basically implied he was lying to us about that section because of him being scared! It did not matter. He just thought he was the best camper that ever lived. My brother was the first self proclaiming “Eagle Scout” on the planet. If badges had been around at that time he would have earned the “compass boy” badge; because he could venture out and find his way back without using a compass. Well, the last day I ever saw my brother was the day he went toward the east after smashing his compass and using his map as starter fuel for his breakfast fire.
Years have gone by and my parents have passed away. I now have to tell my kids about the homeland of their grandparents. I teach them how to camp and how to read the map that is so precious. The compass always gets us back on track but they just never have thought it was fair that they had to be born out in the wilderness. I explained to them that there is nothing I could have done to prevent it. The map clearly shows the travel back is hard and long. I and your grandfather have been struggling everyday to get back there and you will have to do the same. The only thing you can do better than your grandfather or me is to be better each day at reading the map with your compass and never do like your Uncle! Son you have inherited camping and being lost in this land far away! You can not change that. You can do one thing for yourself and your family which is remembering the lessons I have taught which include many mistakes and carefully not make any of the same. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not easy. Becoming a teacher of Eagle Scouts is even harder. But, one day all of your merit badges of discipline, self control, study, and new insights of overcoming new areas with really hard environments will be rewarding as the map has proven to have supplies in exactly every spot it says. Search and find the owners hidden treasures. Search and hunt and learn appreciation of what truly “being off the grid” means. The owner has supplied it; but your granddad messed up one time. We all find ourselves having to live a different life than the originally planned one; and we have to be diligent at getting back to our promised homeland. It is there and assuredly worthy of all the suffering and efforts! Grandfather lived there once and you owe it to your children to not pass down a lie, that it does not exist. That would be worse than what your grandfather did. It is your responsibility to teach them and give them copies of the map with the owner’s instruction. Make a compass for each one of them that has a beautiful arrow pointing to their future. Always teach them the consequences of being like your Uncle. There is no reason to hunt his corpse or grave to prove to them the snakes will kill or venturing out on our own is intelligent without a map and compass. You must remember and teach the truth! Living it is hard but not trying is even a bigger mistake! Life and joy never comes from accepting ignorance or ignoring clear evidence; but when you strive to improve any trail, even if it is short for the next follower seeking the homeland, you are maturing and advancing closer for someone. Can you imagine your cousins never knowing what a compass or map are? Not knowing what it even says? The inheritance of your cousins from their father is usually generational doom! A father whom tells his neighbors he does not give his instructions and opinions to his children because they are smart and can figure it out on their own will be held accountable far more than your great grandfather who made one mistake and put us out here. Your cousins would be better off if they got extremely desperate or even hurt while lost because it might just lead them back to you or their other cousins that could teach them about the map and the compass instead of getting consequently killed like their father. A father who ignores his responsibility to teach his children and influence them about scouting is in all sense frankly criminal. The alternatives to his failures leads to mistakes happening twice to his own loved ones. Nobody, not even the animals in the wild, neglect protecting their young and fending off predators trying to kill them.
I pray Son that your journey is peaceful and the hope never leaves you. The map and compass must be used as they never lie! Have fun camping. There is nothing you could ever do about being lost when you were born; but, it will be your fault completely to ignore the map to the greatest garden and Jesus as your compass!
Please share with others for an understanding of why there are struggles and fun. It is a fact the place never seen is on the map just like when traveling the majestic wonders on earth. Like Filthy Rags page and check out the other words of encouragement and stories as how some of the greatest mysteries relate to the everyday us.
