BSD.....ever

I just came home from our Blue and Gold dinner....that in itself rocked the house. The dinner was at our usual place, Legend's in DePere. We had the same dinner, and yes, there were service issues, but nothing was going to get me in a bad mood...ya see, I knew that I was getting 6 Webelos to start my troop...

All the care in planning was done by my troop's CC, who is still the 4th grade Webleos Den Leader. He took great care to make sure that Sonia and I didn't have to do anything other than enjoy the night and watch our oldest son crossover. That was really nice to eat and socialize for the first time in 5 years. We enjoyed the chicken, taters, dressing and all the fixin's. That was the 2nd cool thing of the night...

The MC of the event did an awesome job in directing the scouts to their various tasks for the night, and the Den Leaders kept all things going....maybe not a well-oiled machine, but do we want machines? No....

As the night progressed and the plates became more empty, our CM got up and gave a quick CM's minute, a nice story about LBP and the anniversary of scouting. Then my wife, the CC, got up and gave a "state of the pack" address, and mentioned all the things that the pack had accomplished in the past year...100% crossover to troops, 100% leaders with most or all of their training complete, assistants in every den, our strong outdoor program and things like that...all things that will make for me to have a strong troop.

Then came the adult recognitions, with the CM recognizing all of the den leaders...she handed out a couple of plaques to a parent/former leader who put in a lot of years and run 3 boys through the pack. She also handed the WB II Den leader a plaque for being there for the kids, and then the boys gave him a walking stick, that the scouts all signed and then sealed with polyurethane.

Then something else...I got called up to the front, and I was presented with a plaque for helping the pack for the last 5 years...that was the 3rd cool thing of the night. I got choked up and said thanks, and walked back to my table.

The boys all received their awards, and then a nice ceremony was done by the younger scouts and the leaders, in preparation for the AOL/Crossover ceremony. That was the 4th cool thing of the night...

As I stood on the other end of the bridge, with my Troop 1363 Ceremony Box, I anxiously waited for the 5th cool thing of the night...for my new troop members to become Boy Scouts. As I placed each neckerchief on each boy, I made a special comment to each of them...they were my boys, boys that I have been training for 5 1/2 years, and now, I would help mold them into young, respectful men...with the last one being my oldest son, Ethan...he crossed, I put the necker and slide on him and he shook my hand, as Scout/Scoutmaster...then I hugged him hard as a very proud Dad...6th cool thing of the night...

If you are keeping track, you may wonder what the 1st cool thing of the night....

Well, just before I left for the BG dinner, I received a Skype call from my friend, Scouting Radio's Commissioner Keith....he congratulated me and I replied "For what? my new troop? Thanks..."

He said, "No, the district has awarded you the Scouter's Knot. I am calling you because I wanted to tell you in person."

I was stunned, surprised...not able to really comprehend what this meant...

As most of you know, about a year ago, I was done with the district, almost considered "blacklisted"...and now, I don't know what to call it...redemption?

I don't know what to make of it, but a friend said to me about a year ago..."Screw 'em...the powers that be made a big mistake, and once they see that the 'Cleary Scouting Machine' isn't running in the district, the rumbles will start...stay the course, buddy." And here I am...coming full-circle....so that was the 1st cool thing...

Hence, today was the BSD ever....Best Scouting Day ever...

Blue to Green

I just wanted to drop a quick note, not saying that I am back, but as it stands, I really don't have any reasons to stay away.

Today, I am 2 days away from having a bonafide troop...officially, 6 boys will wear the colors of Troop 1363.

The night will start off with a few fun activities, then a grand feast of chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and a great deal of desserts. That will be followed up with some speeches from our Cubmaster, and then our Committee Chair.

The rest of the pack has a couple of different planned ceremonies for advancement, some skits and many thanks to the parents of the pack that have helped the pack go...

As a Webelos parent, whose son is crossing over, I am really excited. Moreover, I will be in a different role that night...not as Dad, not as Pack Trainer, but as Scoutmaster...to a brand new troop, being started out of love for the scouting program. We will be 6 scouts strong, the same boys that I have known for the last 5 1/2 years. They have trusted me to be their den leader, their Cubmaster and now, their Scoutmaster.

Their Scoutmaster....what an honor it is for me....to be one of the influential people in their young lives, to hopefully show them the path to a great future. It's a big task, and I am so glad that I was chosen to take on such an honor.

As I am writing this, I get kind of emotional thinking about what Thursday is going to bring....I am all about the show, and as the Cubmaster, I was always about the ceremony...but now, as Scoutmaster, I will be simply congratulating scouts as they don our troop colors. But that is where the fun begins...

and I am wearing my party hat...

Happy Trails to you, until we meet again....

Hey all...

It's time for me to take a break. I don't have any bad things that have happened, or nobody has done me any wrong [see last year]...

I have to focus on my troop and, well, it's a necessary evil that my show and blog really get pushed to the back burner...

Now, I haven't updated my blog in months, but it's not going away....

I don't have a time frame when I am coming back...I don't want to say, "See you in March" or "So long for good"...it really is a tough call, but as I stated to Scoutmaster Jerry, I have to focus on my troop, and some home items, and True North has to take a brief hiatus.

Thanks for reading, and keep your compass pointing True North....

Scoutmaster Shawn

Sorry for the lack of updates

Hey all,
I want to thank you for all being loyal listeners and readers. I also want to mention how sorry that I am that I haven't updated or posted to my blog in so long.

It seems that time really does fly when you are having fun, and right now, I am having a good time with den meetings and with the organization of the new troop.

Those are some things that I will be covering in my show, you can find me over on PTC Media.

I have found that I am leaning more towards the audio end of my blogging experience, as opposed to the written word...

Laziness? not really, just a bit more efficient, and sometimes, I can't get to a keyboard when an "ah-ha" moment strikes...

Look for a new segment on my True North show, details soon....

OK, it's now official...

I haven't posted the new 'news' that is pretty exciting to me and some of my readers and listeners. I held off on posting on my blog, due to some changes at work, quite a bit of scouting and of course, getting set up with my new digs...

Many of you may or may not know, but I have many friends that I have met on the internet, and with those connections, I started this blog. My blog morphed into a podcast and blog. I started on a different path, but roadblocks made me change that path. I ended up going from "The Commissioner's Corner" to "Cleary's Corner" to "True North"...a name that I feel fits...

Regardless, I was approached a while ago to join a group of scouters, who also have blogs and podcasts. I have made that move and I can now say that I am a member of the PTC Media Network...

It may have been one of the worst kept secrets, but I am happy for the move...

You will still be able to view my posts here, but my shows will now be on the PTC Media Network. You can visit them by going HERE

If you get a chance to get over there, be sure to sign up in the forums, participate in some discussions, and stop in to my section of the forum and say "Hi"...

Update on Show 14

Sorry about that folks, I put the wrong link in the show notes, the title was correctly linked, you can listen HERE

My demons are gone

As many of you know, I have had a rough time with the program, which way to turn, who I want to be within the whole scouting universe.

I can now say, all that is behind me...I will talk about it more on an upcoming show.

But for now, sitting here at the Jambo, all in the world is good.....