Meet the Parents: Parent's Weekend

When Maria Rossi brought up the idea of an APO parents weekend I was immediately on board.  What better way to demonstrate to the parents of APO that their children were occupied in a noble service, than through serving by their side?  More importantly, what better way to get my Dad to buy me lunch at the Allen Street Grille?  So I forwarded Father the email announcing the time for the event, and he immediately and enthusiastically agreed to go.  My father and I arrived at Shaver’s Creek with anticipation in our hearts to serve in the beautiful climate that prevailed that day.  A small group of us were tasked with sorting the “hard” wood and the “soft” wood into individual piles.  If you don’t know what the difference between hard and soft wood is, I don’t really know either.  As it was explained to us I think it has something to do with how heavy the wood is, or how corrugated the bark is, or something like that.  My father with a mental fortitude not present in his son, quickly discerned the difference between soft and hard wood, and worked with the others to bring the task to a speedy and satisfactory solution.  Once the task was complete we were fortunate enough to observe Shaver’s Creek’s multitude of birds, among which was APO’s mascot the golden eagle.  After a brief interlude with the birds we set back to work, splitting wood for the camp.  It was with some degree of pride that I noted my father’s mastery of the task, especially when compared to my inadequacy in emulating him.  Tired out from a long day of service we drove to Allen Street Grille in order to restore our vigor, and had a hearty meal with the proud progenitors of APO brothers.  In the end it was a great way to spend the weekend and I thank Maria for her ability to plan such an event.

-Eric McCoy

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