Wood Badge Beads

I was presented with my Wood Badge beads tonight at my Ward Court of Honor.  It was a very cool thing.  My Wood Badge Ticket Counselor was there along with the course director, his wife (who was a scribe on the course) and one of the members of my Owl patrol.  It's good to be recognized for a lot of work--the culmination of a lot of effort.

After my ticket counselor talked a bit about Wood Badge and explained the significance of Wood Badge and "working a ticket," I was asked to come forward.  My wife came up with me and they asked her to remove my "Troop 1" neckerchief and Woggle.  Then I was given the wood badge beads (placed around my neck by the scribe) and the Wood Badge neckerchief and Woggle (placed around my neck by both the course director and scribe).  They also gave me a framed certificate:  "Wood Badge given by Boy Scouts of America to DeShawn Smith in recognition of completing the National Wood Badge requirements Wood Badge for the 21st Century."   My ticket counselor also gave me a council patch that has an owl and wood badge beads on it.  It's a different shape and size , so I'll have to re-sew everything on the left sleeve of my uniform, but it will be worth it.

I'm the fourth person in that course to finish working my ticket.  I know that several more are close to completing their ticket items.

I am grateful to the staff of my Wood Badge course.  Thank you to those that put so much time and effort into WE7-591-3-09-27.  I'm looking forward to serving on staff in the future--probably when I'm no longer Scoutmaster, because that takes up most of my time.

I used to be an Owl,
And a good old Owl too.
But now I'm finished Owling,
I don't know what to do.
I'm growing old and feeble,
And I can Owl no more,
So I'm going to work my ticket if I can.
Back to Gilwell, happy land,
I'm going to work my ticket if I can.