The Story of Adam's Eagle Scout Award

Sorry this has been blank.  I wrote a big long entry and then realized that there were a lot of very negative details that kind of detracted from Adam's wonderful accomplishment.  And there were many negative things that happened to Adam along this journey but I am trying to forget them.  This should be a joyful thing, a culmination of years of hard work and endurance for Adam...and for me, haha!  So, I erased it.

Here is the journey in a nutshell:
Adam overcame 9 years of hating Cub and Boy Scouts, barely enduring the activities and campouts because of his social anxiety and the mistreatment from the other Scouts.  Searching for at least 4 months and then finding 2 different Eagle projects but having to give up the first one because he was wrongly accused (In a VERY very ugly series of confrontations) of stealing it from another scout.  BSA changing their Eagle application forms the night before Adam's already filled out and signed forms were handed in (so we had to do it all over again, including getting all the signatures again.  Anyone who has had to fill out those forms will tell you it is a major pain)  Moving twice to two different Scout troops.  Getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder and fighting the mania and depression and medication changes with all their side effects that come with it.  And yet, finally working through all the remaining forms and letters of recommendations and chasing down details to finish it all up and pass that demanding Board of Review...it is nothing short of a miracle!   

Here are the amazing positive things, in a nutshell:
Chad was able to attend a lot of the campouts with Adam, which made it bearable for him.  He was able to get a lot of merit badges in a short period of time because of one Scout leader who got it.  One of the troop changes was such a positive experience for Adam that he was re-invigorated and became revved up for getting his Eagle.  He worked with an Eagle coach briefly who got him all outfitted and checked that he had all the requirements in place.  He found the easiest Eagle project on the planet the second time around and that was the biggest miracle of all!  I must tell that one in detail.  We had Mormon Helping Hands one Saturday, scraping the rust off of a park fence and then painting it.  Unfortunately for the City of Moorpark, we only got halfway done.  Fortunately for Adam, I had a flash of inspiration and thought he could finish up the rest of it.  We immediately called the contact with the city and he was more than happy to allow Adam to do it.  We presented the idea to all the applicable BSA people and got it approved as an appropriate Eagle project.  The city provided all the supplies - all we had to do was get people there to complete the job and get them all to sign waivers.  We had some Scouts and some very nice parents show up from three different wards - Moorpark 2 (Adam's troop at that time, Moorpark 1 (Adam's former troop), and Dos Vientos (the ward we were moving to - that told me so much about that ward - we hadn't even moved there yet!)  The fence was completely finished in about 6 hours and within a week, we had all the signatures we needed from the city.  I believed then, and believe now, that the Lord knew what we had gone through and gave us that blessing.
Somehow through all that mess of dealing with the bipolar, Adam dug deep and found what he needed to get the paperwork finished.  It took him a full year.  But he did it.  This was a goal that we had for Adam for most of his life.  We almost gave up many many times!  But now Adam knows that he can do very hard things, and that determination pays off.  I want to throw that kid the biggest and best Court of Honor that I can!  He deserves it!