I am the whisper of wind in the top of the oak and pine,

I am the first curl of smoke of a campfire,

I am the crunch of gravel under a hiking boot,

I am the splash of light on a canoe paddle.

I have walked the surface of the Moon,

I have worked in the Oval Office,

I have heard the call of the Eagle,

I have breathed life into another's lungs.

My honor hovers over Arlington and The Tomb,

My courage has been tested in battle, flood, fire and storm,

My skills are basic and have prepared many for life and service

My vision is clear and undimmed by the passage of time.

You can see me in parents' pride-filled eyes at a court-of-honor.

You can smell me in a cup of fire-brewed coffee,

You can hear me in the silence of a snow-covered forest,

You can feel me, carefully, on the edge of a fresh-sharpened ax.

My kindred have told me of your past,

I walk and breathe in the present,

I can only dream of your tomorrows,

I am..The Scouting Spirit..pass me on...

James A. DeReign .....10/14/85