The prayers of everyone at Philmont go out to the victims of the terrorist bombings in London and their families.  We will stand with you.

This past Friday night, I undertook a ceremony that ended with the Vigil Honor of the Order of the Arrow being given to me.  This is the highest level that one can attain in what is considered to be the Scouting equivalent to the National Honor Society.  I am not allowed to say what the ceremony entailed, but I did have time for some quiet contemplation.  This has led me to realize some things and also has changed my outlook on the way I live my life.  I realized that for the past week, and probably even longer, the things that were most important to me were my pride and my own selfish priorities.  I have been upset and in a bad mood this past week because my pride had been hurt.  I have come to realize that I let small, petty things affect me too much.  I do not need to get so emotional about every little hill that comes along in life.  Instead, I need to focus on the accomplishment of getting to the tops of those hills.  On another note, I realized that I had lost sight of the reason that I joined Alpha Phi Omega.  I joined it out of a desire to do service.  For awhile, it has just been something that would look good on my resume.  I do not know when my outlook changed, but I am now changing it back.  I will now shift my focus back to serving others and not worry about whether or not people know that I am doing it.  Finally, I resolve to live fully to my Vigil name.  Its english translation is "to be of one heart and mind".