I'm glad I went to Scouts. I've sometimes complained that awards
   and medals are ultimately meaningless but you know what? *I'm
   wrong. *They do matter. *Going through stuff, I saved this
   little card. *Somewhere around my stuff I have the ribbon and
   little Methodist cross with flame pin. If awards and recognition
   doesn't matter, why did I save it? I think it's because we do so
   much for so many and are lucky to get even a "Thank You" most of
   the time, when we do get recognized for an achievement (in this
   case, it was a 6-9 month program with volunteer work, I think I
   made a movie or collage, talked with lots of people, went to
   classes and such... ...and it meant something. *Today, thinking
   back, it means something even today. *It's easy to dismiss our
   past and say,, "Oh that? *Yeah, that was nothing. It's just
   something I did." *But you know what? *You did it. *Whatever it
   is - you did it. *You get put up on stage. *You got recognized.
   *And... you should be proud. *Whatever it is - if you feel
   proud, you have a right to feel proud, even if someone might
   mock you for it. *Let them mock. *I'm proud of the boy that
   completed the program and I'm proud of the man he became and
   continues becoming while venturing towards the future.
   [1]IMG_8045

References

   Visible links
   1. http://icopiedyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IMG_8045.jpg