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| The Brownie Story (a poem) |
| For those who've come, I'm here to share The Brownie Story with girls who care For once, a long time ago When fairies and elves in England did grow Two little girls as normal as you Lived with their father and grandmother, too! Their father, a tailor, worked hard all day And Granny, very busy, had no time to play The girls loved to play and dance and sing They could make a game out of any old thing Then one day the father, a wise old man Told of the magic of Brownie Land He told them of the Brownies who work and dust And clean for their families without making a fuss Granny told them to look for a magical place Where the wise old owl might show them the face Of a Brownie who was willing to clean and sew And dance and sing, 'cause Brownies love that, you know! Our two found the owl with the answers to share With all the little girlswaiting way out there Said he "Go to the Magical Browine Ring, Join all the Brownies in everything." "Deep in the woods when the moon is out Go to the pond - turn yourself about You'll find magic that starts with a rhyme" And this magic circles the world in time "Twist me and turn me And show me the elf I looked in the water And saw myslef" Now all of us know of the magic Brownie woods Where each little girl helps as she should Where trees and flowers and the rain and the sun Are friends of children who join Scouting fun |
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| A Girl Scout's Prayer |
| Lord, help us to be good Girl Scouts Ones whom the world can trust, Help us respect our neighbor's rights And never be unjust. Help us as Americans To be worthy of the flag we bear. Then help us as real Girl Scouts To be proud of the uniform we wear. Help us to be clean, Dear Lord, In thought, word, and deed And help us to follow the law That is in the Girl Scout creed. Teach us to love our fellow man And then to serve him, too Help our actions to count, Dear Lord, In everything we do. Give us strength to carry on And do our part each day, Make a place in this world for us And help us fill it, I pray. Make us what we ought to be And in Thy footsteps fall, Help us to live for others O great Scout Master of us all. |
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| Investiture Ceremony Poem |
| These golden trefoils in my hand Upon our new Girl Scouts we will bestow But first the meaning that the trefoil bears The spirit of our Promise we must know Three gold leaves that the trefoil wears Threefold the Promise that it bears To serve God and your country dear To bring others hope and cheer And everyday in every way The Girl Scout Law learn to obey And yet another message too These three gold leaves should bring to you There are three ways each girl should grow Three sides of life each Scout should know Your body is the temple of your soul Oh, Girl Scouts build it strong and straight and fair In God's great out-of-doors your kingdom lies Health and happiness await you there In beauty, too, in this great land Our Father made so fair Seek long for Beauty, and even more Make beauty where no beauty was before |
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| A Leader's Promise (Huron Valley GS Council) |
| I will do my best: To be honest about my girls abilities and fair to their talents To be friendly and helpful because my girls deserve the best To be considerate and caring even when things don't work out To be courageous and strong because my girls need me To be responsible for what I say and do because others are depending on me To respect myself and others, after all, I am a Girl Scout To respect authority, even the girl's To use resources wisely by not wasting the potential in each girl I work with To make the world a better place by sharing my best, and not sharing when necessary To be a sister to every Girl Scout and care for each Girl Scout as family |
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| Around the Campfire |
| Come place a log around the fire A sign of Friendship true Then you may sit and talk with me And I shall talk to you The years have flown since last we sat Beside a campfire bright But I have longed to talk to you As we shall talk tonight I have not traveled far in miles But with my questing eyes I've found unbounded beauty waits Beneath these spacious skies I've learned to see with open mind The grandeur near at hand And all that nature gives to us I've tried to understand I do not long for distant shores But just to have the time To roam about these mountain woods And make them really mine I'll place more wood upon the fire To keep our campsite bright For I am glad that you, my friend Are here with me tonight |
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| Discovery |
| Today I smiled and all at once Things didn't look so bad Today I shared with someone else A bit of hope I had Today I sang a little song And felt my heart grow light And walked a happy little mile Without a cloud in sight. Today I worked with what I had And longed for nothing more And what seemed like only weed Were flowers at my door Today I loved a little more Complained a little less And in the giving of myself Forgot my weariness |
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| A Girl Scout Leader's Desiderata |
| Go placidly amid the noise and excitement of your
meeting, And remember that this is one sign of good Scouting. As far as possible without surrender Be on good terms with all your fellow leaders. Plan your programs carefully and cheerfully; And listen to others, Even the youngest Daisy Scout; She will give you many moments of Joy. Avoid loud and aggressive gatherings of Leaders, Except when you're part of one. If you compare your troop with others, Do not become vain or bitter; For success can only be judged by the smiles on their faces. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep in mind the Aim of the movement, However hard to understand at times, It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution with your troop funds; For a Girl Scout works hard for her money. |
| But let this not blind you to what Girl Scouting is all
about.. Baden-Powell wrote it himself; Camping and the Outdoors. Be yourself. Especially, have fun. Neither burn out too soon; For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment Those girls are depending on you. Take kindly the counsel of your Service Team, They will help you all that they can. Nurture strength of spirit in case of a failure But do not blame yourself... you have done your best, And what you think of as failure may be super fun to your Girl Scouts. Beyond a wholesome discipline, Be gentle with yourself. You are the most important person in Scouting; We need more adults like yourself To help the youth of this world. And whether or not it is clear to you, You are molding the future of this country. Therefore, be at peace with God, Whatever you conceive Him to be, And whatever your labors and aspirations, In the noisy confusion of your meeting Keep peace with yourself. With all its hard work and sometimes frustration, It is still a wonderful movement. Be cheerful and strive for good Scouting ... |
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| From An Old Camper |
| You may think, my dear, when you grow quite old You have left camp days behind But I know the scent of wood smoke Will always call to mind Little fires at twilight And trails you used to find You may think some day that you have quite grown up And feel so wordly wise But suddenly from out of the past A vision will arise Of merry folk with brown, bare knees And laughter in their eyes You may live in a house built to your taste In the nicest part of town But someday for your old camp togs You'd change your latest gown And trade it all for a balsam bed Where the stars all night look down You may find yourself grown wealthy Have all that gold can buy But you'd toss aside a fortune For days 'neath an open sky With sunlight and blue water And white clouds sailing high For once you have been a camper Then something has come to stay Deep in your heart forever Which nothing can take away And heaven can only be heaven With a camp in which to play. |
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| Blessed are the Girl Scouts |
| Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are taught to see beauty
in all things around them... For their world will be a place of grace and wonder. Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are led with patience and understanding... For they will learn the strength of endurance and gift of tolerance. Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are provided a home where family members dwell in harmony and close communion... For they shall become the peacemakers of the world. Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are taught the value and power of truth... For they shall search for knowledge and use it with wisdom and discernment. Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are guided by those with faith in a loving God... For they will find Him early and will walk with Him through life. Blessed are the Girl Scouts who are loved and know that they are loved... For they shall sow seeds of love in the world and reap joy for themselves and others. |
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| Green Angel |
| I dreamed I went to Heaven And saw among the dead An Angel dressed in Green A halo 'round her head. And she looked kind of funny Midst all the glaring white, The others asked her jealously What gave her such right? I'm just a Girl Scout Leader; I lay no hold to fame; But being such a person Means more than just the name. My jobs on earth were many; Praises and thanks were few. I did more work in one day, Than ten people ought to do. I was a tin can cooker, A hiker, a pathfinder; I've also been an artist, A sailor, a bookbinder. I taught jumping jills to dance, I taught parrots to sing: I made saints out of hoodlums, While mama has her fling. I walked the streets till my feet Felt like a ton of bricks, Selling Girl Scout Cookies now The mere thought makes me sick. But it was lots of fun, Life never was a bore, You see this role's not new to me, I've been an Angel before. |
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| Angel in Green |
| Having left mortal earth I passed through Heaven's
gate And while anxiously awaiting the outcome of my fate I walked amongst the angels all robed in purest white Whereupon I saw one figure that cast a greenish light. She sat upon a misty cloud, a harp held to her breast, In a flowing, blowing gown of green, unlike all the rest; I asked what great deed she'd done to earn the special hue That gave her color where others had none, or maybe just a few. She said, "On earth I sought no fame, fortune was not my goal I shunned the power of politics and worked without a toll; I spent time with children, helping them to grow For as you reap in life, so must you learn to sow." "You see," she said, "the dividend while growing up I'd share I repaid where many others were too self involved to care; Girl Scouting was my choice of roads to follow in my quest For among the girls I found a love deeper than the rest." "A teacher was I, my work was hard, I had no diploma or pay But where family and institutions failed I helped them find the way; The lessons I taught were obscure and difficult to see For they didn't have names like spelling or math or geometry." "They were lessons in life delivered through guided experience And they taught such things as character, spirit, and confidence; Though on earth my life was blessed, it's even more so today For when I look down I see my work as my girls show others the way." "On earth Girl Scouting taught me to leave things better than before And the same applies to that mortal place where life never was a bore Now having lived by that Girl Scout rule in every earthly endeavor I have become an Angel in Green and shall be a Girl Scout forever." |
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| How very special you are! |
| Your presence is a present to the world. You're unique and one of a kind. Your life can be what you want it to be. Take the days just one at a time. Count your blessings, not your troubles. You'll make it through whatever comes along. Within you are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong. Don't put limits on yourself. So many dreams are waiting to be realized. Decisions are too important to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets. Remember that a little love goes a long way. Remember that a lot . . . goes forever. Remember that friendship is a wise investment. Life's treasures are people . . . together. Realize that it's never to late. Do ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Have health and hope and happiness. Take the time to wish upon a star. And don't ever forget . . . For even a day . . . How very special you are. |
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| I'm a Girl Scout Leader |
| I am a scout leader, I own a hot glue gun, A 3-ring notebook, an American flag, and a seven-passenger van. I know all about Safety-Wise, permission slips, and registration forms. I save bits of string, scraps of fabric, old tin cans, And a whole garage full of recyclables. I am a scout leader. I get excited over paper sack kites that really fly, Girls who remember to bring their books, And a perfectly toasted marshmallow. I ooh and ah at crayon-drawn pictures, Cheer for a paper kickball game, And sing "I'm a Stinky Little Skunk" at troop meetings. I once wept with a Scout who just found out her parents were getting a divorce. I am a scout leader. I have twisted and turned new Brownies at the pond, Herded unruly girls along museum tours, Proven myself outdoors building a fire, And quietly panicked upon sight of a spider. I have threatened to quit more than once, But I am still a scout leader. My green card says I'm trained. But I know I still have a lot to learn from other leaders, My service unit, and especially my girls. And I still have one more lesson to teach. I will not give up on any of my girls, So I am still a scout leader. |
| -original poem (I am a Den Leader) by
Julie H. Erickson, adapted by Barb Hunter |
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| ANOTHER LEADER'S POEM |
| Sometimes I get discouraged. My time is not my own. If I'm not somewhere, I'm always on the phone, Reminding someone's mother of a stray permission slip. Whose loss would cause disaster to our upcoming field trip. I'm dashing out to get supplies (I think I'm going daft!) Who's idea was this? Can we really do this craft? And then there are the cookies-on the chairs & on the floor. My house has twice as many as the local grocery store. Even when I'm sitting still, my brain is overheating Searching for a game or song to liven up the meeting. Just when I'm exhausted, too tired to move again, A small eruption at the door and the girls are coming in! I draw a breath in wonder, & ask myself, "Oh Why"? Then I'm almost toppled by a bear hug, just knee-high. The room is full of laughter and suddenly I see That I really cannot think of a better place to be. Yes, I'm a Girl Scout leader & I guess that's no surprise, And everything I do is worth the smile in one girl's eyes. ---Author unknown. |
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| How to Grow a Girl Scout Volunteer |
| First plant seven rows of
P's: Promptness, perseverance, preparation, participation, presence, purity, and performance. Next, plant three rows of squash: squash unfairness, squash criticism, squash indifference Then plant seven rows of lettuce: 1) Let us delegate responsibility 2) Let us give assistance whenever necessary 3) Let us recognize the importance of pooling ideas and encourage full and free ideas and encourage full and free discussion before decisions are made. 4) Let us appreciate and respect the attitudes of other people 5) Let us encourage cooperation 6) Let us arrive in advance of scheduled meetings, with all materials needed 7) Let us be prepared No garden is complete without turnips: Turn up for meetings Turn up with enthusiasm Turn up with new ideas Turn up with a smile The harvest is one terrific Girl Scout Volunteer |
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| A PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN |
| We pray for the Children who sneak popsicles before supper, who erase holes in math workbooks, who can never find their shoes. And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire, who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers, who never "counted potatoes," who are born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead, who never go to the circus, who live in an X-rated world. We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money. And we pray for those who never get dessert, who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, who watch their parents watch them die, who can't find any bread to steal, who don't have any rooms to clean up, whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real. We pray for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday, who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food, who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed, who never rinse out the tub, who get visits from the tooth fairy, who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, who squirm in church or temple and scream in the phone, whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry. And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren't spoiled by anybody, who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep, who live and move, but have no being. We pray for children who want to be carried and for those who must, who we never give up on and for those who don't get a second chance. For those we smother and . . . for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it. "A Prayer for Children", and was written by Ina Hughs, published in a book of the same name by William Morrow & Co., 1995. |
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| Girl Scout Leader's Poem |
| My dishes went unwashed today I didn't make the bed I took her hand and went with her To Girl Scout's instead. That my house was neglected That I didn't sweep the stairs In twenty years no one on earth Will know or even care. But that I helped a little girl From child to adulthood grow In twenty years, the whole wide world Will look and see and know. |
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| Toast to the Long - Suffering Husband of the Volunteer Worker |
| Here's to the man -- the poor, poor man Whose busy wife does all she can To make his home as precious as pearls, While she's out "Scouting" with the girls. He leaves for work in the gray, gray dawn, The phone starts ringing the moment he's gone, when he comes home he finds a note And this is what his wifey wrote... "Tonight I'll be a little late, But on the table I put your plate, Now don't forget to watch the stew And keep your eye on the children, too. That handkerchief I forgot to press, But I couldn't wear a wrinkled dress! I have an appointment to keep, you see Tomorrow, I'll try to iron you three. The laundry brought your shirts today But I didn't get them put away. Just clean a place upon the shelf, I do feel I should have done it myself. I had to use the car, today, I backed it out the very same way I've seen you do it ten times or more But, darling, I hit the old garage door. I'll have to have it tomorrow, too I'm taking the "Scouts" out to the zoo. No, it won't take much gasoline, And could you manage to wash it clean? Of course it's raining, but please don't fret, They couldn't possibly get the cushions wet. Oh, yes, I remember the trip before -- They only got mud on the seat and the floor. No really, folks this isn't all true But if it were, he'd see her through He really thinks she's a pretty swell gal And working with Scouts makes her a real pal. So here's to the man, the lucky man, Whose busy wife does all she can To guide our daughters from strife and sorrow, For they'll be the "Leaders of Tomorrow..." |
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| A Careful Soul |
| A careful soul I have to be, A little Girl Scout follows me. To a narrow path I must stay, For if I don't, she too, will stray. I must choose my deeds with care. For all I do, she too, will dare. My words I guard and softly speak And I must love the strong and the weak. Oh, I must be fair, from the start. And boldly lead with a steady heart. In all I say and all I do. I promise to strive to be true. Because you know...... Where're I go........ A careful soul I have to be. A little Girl Scout follows me! |
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| "Volunteers" |
| Many will be shocked to find, When the day of judgment nears, That there's a special place in Heaven Set aside for volunteers. Furnished with big recliners, Satin couches and footstools, Where there are no committee chairmen, No yard sales or rest area coffee to serve, No library duty or bulletin assembly, There will be nothing to print and staple, Not one thing to fold and mail, Telephone lists will be outlawed. But a finger snap will bring Cool drinks and gourmet dinners And rare treats fit for a king. You ask, "Who'll serve these privileged few And work for all they're worth?" Why, all those who reaped the benefits, And not once volunteered on Earth! |
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| The Red, White and Blue |
| What does our flag mean to you? Does it mean just colors - red, white and blue? Just a piece of cloth that proudly waves From buildings tall and soldier's graves? Or does it mean people like you and me Who love this land of liberty? People whose skins may be brown or white But bravely work for freedom and right? Can you see in it's folds mountains and hills Wide flowing rivers and picturesque rills? Fields that are golden with ripening grain And cowboys roaming across the plain? Cities with skyscrapers stately and tall And towns and villages large and small? Farms that supply our tables with food And orchards and forests that yield fruit and wood? These are the things in our flag that I see Symbol of a nation that loves liberty So to our flag let us pledge to be true God bless you and keep you, dear Red, White and Blue |
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| The American's Creed |
| I believe in The United States of America as a Government of the people, by the people, for the people Whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed A democracy in a republic A sovereign Nation of many sovereign States A perfect Union, one and inseperable Established upon those principals of freedom, equality, and justice And humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes I therefore believe it is my duty to my country To love it; To support its Constitution To obey its laws; To respect its flag; and To defend it against all enemies. |
