By JOHN W. KENNEDY—

The writer, a lifelong Madison resident, Eagle Scout and Scout Leader, is the retired CEO of The New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. For more information on the book, he can be reached at twelvesimplewords@gmail.com.

The last year has been a crazy one for me – most of it very positive.

I retired from full-time work, our son got married to his sigh school sweetheart, and my 50-year reunion from Madison High is upon us.

These types of occasions always seemed well into my future, but they quickly became my new reality. Financially I was ready, but mentally – a little backwards at best.

The most recent movements include some soul-searching as I have considered growing up in Madison, N.J., as a core part of my life.

Like many of my friends, I did not have much money, and much less after Dad died suddenly – almost 50-years ago, but I rarely lacked for activities and support. It was just a product of growing up in those times.

Madison, to me, was not just my hometown, but a mechanism for becoming an actual adult. A place that was steeped in family, friends, neighbors, solid educational options – and – sports and Scouting.

The last two felt to be the most important ones at the time, but the others have certainly caught up in the last few decades.

As one grows, life becomes more genuine in its experiences. No one gets through without some turmoil or tragedy, and I was not exempt.

Losing my dad as a teen was the most traumatic of times for me, and it took me years to come to grips with the fallout.

That said – it also brought me incredible validation from a variety of personal resources. People like Scout leaders Ben Russell and Dennis Spencer, coaches like Al Clement and Ted Monica, and key relatives like my older brother Bill Kennedy and Uncle Al Beaman.

I think I was about 30 before I realized that they chose to help me. I am thankful they did so.

The reality is that all of them combined did not add up to what my mom provided. She led me back from the anger and confusion – and like Pat and Hazel Luciano did for her – gave me a chance at a life of value.

One of my greatest sources of fun and character building was Boy Scout Troop 7 at St. Vincent’s Church. I got involved for the hiking and camping, but stayed well into my adult life because of the overall values it presented to me.

One such area is captured in The Scout Law, which was made up of 12 words…12 Simple Words. They provided me with an extended foundation that focused on me as an individual with responsibilities to my entire community.

These words have long held me in their sway, and I have tried to put together a book highlighting them for quite some time, but was never able to figure it all out.

This year two ‘‘things’’ came together that got me to move forward…

• September 4th would have been my mom’s 102nd birthday. It held a comical significance for me because in my 40’s she would badger me to quit playing baseball and softball because I was too old. I would return fire to her about bowling, and she’d quickly reply – “I’ll quit when I’m 102!”. Well Mom…

• Secondly, I have never enjoyed the “self-help” style of books, whether they were for personal growth, business or sports, as their overall application to my situations were limited.

Then it came to me to ask people that I admire and respect to add their own thoughts regarding The Scout Law. It did not matter whether they were former Scouts or Scouters…it mattered because they were considering these same 12 Simple Words as part of their own lives.

This is when the book became real to me. I was proud and happy with what I wrote, but it became valuable when these ‘‘other voices’’ were added.

After hundreds of hours of writing, compiling and proofreading the book is now ready for final formatting and set for pre-sale on Sept. 4th, and Mom’s bowling balls remain in the garage.

Funny, that as I put all my thoughts into words, I kept coming back to tying in The Scout Law with all the sayings my mom employed daily, and that I now channel each day.

The ones I did not want to hear then, but now provide me with the wisdom I need in areas like Personal Responsibility, Work Ethic, Integrity, or Taking Action.

Here are a few:

• “Make a positive difference every day.”

• “If you don’t give back…you don’t get any more.”

• “You can complain about things for 24-hours; then you need to be part of the solution.”

• “Take and maintain responsibility for your actions.”

• “Treat everyone as you want to be treated.”

All good, and it’s amazing how they fit into The Scout Law, and the book I wrote and complied called “12 Simple Words.”

It would be great if you consider buying/reading it as all proceeds go to scholarships and educational grants through Team Eagle Foundation. The link for the book is https://store.bookbaby.com/book/12-simple-words.

But more importantly, look up The Scout Law and consider how following these words would make for a better you and a better world.

Naïve? Maybe, but since we only directly control a single individual for change, it has to begin there.