Me with my eye patched

The Last Trip to Wallwood

In June of 2016, Boy Scout camp at Wallwood ended. I had been shuttled to parent night at camp by another scout parent, just before my eye surgery. I sat on a bench talking with Erica, another scout parent, who is visually impaired. She became my guide into the world of the minimally sighted. Honestly, my having a partially sighted friend during my temporary blindness helped me keep perspective.  She

Merit Badges

The Last Normal Summer

Our last normal summer break, careened from problem to problem. Boy Scouts spend most of the year working on service projects and leadership skills. Summertime brings scout camp, where scouts earn most of their merit badges. A scout needs to earn at least 21 merit badges to reach the rank of Eagle. Eleven of those come from a list of required badges. The remaining badges are elective badges that teach