Quick Trip to SJ

I am headed up to SJ tonight after work to go to the funeral of Loretta Crosby. I am sure many of you know her and what made her special. She was the advancement committee chair person for our boy scout troop for many years and has had a huge influence in the lives of many young men, I am sure she earned many more Eagle Scouts than any other woman in the organization!

4111 on the caller ID haunted me all through high school because I almost always new that it meant an interrogation on what merit badges I had worked on, what I was going to do the following week, and when I was going to schedule an appointment with the merit badge counselor. Without her persistence and constant encouragement it is hard to say whether or not I would have ever earned my Eagle Scout.

Another reason why it is important for me to go up this weekend is because she was the mother of a good friend of mine. Miles is 1 month two days older than me and for that reason always progressed through the scouting levels (Scout, Varsity, Venture) and the Quorums (Deacon, Teacher, Priest) just ahead of me. Possibly for this reason alone I always felt like I was following or playing catch-up with him. Being the son of the Scout Advancement Chairperson you can bet he always worked at a steady pace which managed to keep me moving at the same rate.

I appreciate both Miles and his mother and for the influence they have been in my life. I feel for Miles and his family as they pass through this challenging moment but am sure that they are strong enough to weather the storm. With all that Sister Crosby managed to accomplish while in this world with imperfections and physical limitations it only makes me wonder what great work she is accomplishing on the other side of the veil where those impediments are non-existent.

Thank you Sister Crosby.