ENHANCED WITH PROPS
The examples listed in this section can be adapted and used as a point of reference to inspire Scouts, open their eyes, and/or get them thinking.
Scout-age youth are “visual” thinkers. They relate well to stories that are accompanied by props. A little extra time spent in preparing these visual aids pay off by contributing to the overall impact of the presentation.
BACK IT UP!
Hold up a ten or twenty dollar bill for all to see, and ask the Scouts what it is, what it’s worth, and why is it worth so much.
– The bill is really just a piece of paper. It has no value. But, it has been created and certified by the U.S. Government to be worth ten (or twenty) dollars and can be exchanged for ten (or twenty) dollars worth of goods or services. It is Backed Up by the strength of our government. Without that power and trust backing it up, the bill would be worthless. Hold up a First Class or higher badge of rank.
– Look at this patch. It’s just a piece of fabric and by itself hardly worth much. But, it’s valuable because we know it represents years of learning, leading, and serving. It is backed up by the efforts and commitment made by the Scout that wears it.
– When you receive your own patch like this, you will know that the patch itself is not that important. How you back it up is the important part!
The BOY AND THE FILBERTS
(Before the presentation, fill a jar with a neck that’s just wide enough to fit your hand into, about half way to the top with hazel nuts, marbles, or even small stones.)
– A boy put his hand into a pitcher full of filberts. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the pitcher. Unwilling to lose his filberts, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment. A bystander said to him, “Be satisfied with half the quantity, and you will readily draw out your hand.”
— We should not attempt too much at once.(Demonstrate this by reaching your hand into the jar, grabbing a fist full of nuts, and reveal how you can’t pull out your hand. Then let go of all but a few and free your hand.)
The BUNDLE OF STICKS
(Before the presentation, bind a bundle of dry sticks, as thick as a pencil, together with string or a couple of rubber bands. The bound bundle should be large enough to resist any attempts to break it in two. Hold up the bundle.)
– Who would like to attempt to break this bundle of sticks in half? (Let two or three try.) A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion. For this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
— By the same token, if we share the load by dividing the labor and working together, we can accomplish many things that separated we’d never be able to do. (Unbind the sticks, and give them to the same Scouts who before attempted to break the bundle in half, so they can now break them all.)
CAN’T TO CAN!
– Every now and then we hear a Scout use the word can’t: “I can’t hike 15 miles,” or “I can’t tie that knot,” etc. (Put up the Scout sign.) Please repeat after me, “On my honor I will do my best!” (Write the word “CAN’T” in big letters on a chalk or white board.) Does that word appear anywhere in the Scout Oath? (Erase the “‘T”.)
— Anything we want to accomplish will be much easier if we start telling ourselves we can do it instead of using that other word. (Write a big “I” in front of the “CAN” and leave it there until the next meeting. The first thing they see the next time they walk in is the words “I CAN!”)
CORK IN A SODA BOTTLE
(Before the presentation, insert a small cork inside a soda bottle whose mouth is just a little bit smaller than the cork. Hold up the bottle with the cork inside it.)
– Does anyone know how to get the cork out of the soda bottle without breaking the bottle? (Allow Scouts to offer opinions of how this might be done, and allow several to try to get it out.)
– Can you think of any items that would help get the cork out of the bottle? (You probably will get some more opinions. After hearing some ideas, pull a piece of heavy string out of your pocket.)
– Do you think a piece of string will do the job? The key to removing the cork with the string is a knot tied on the end of the string. (Tie a stopper knot on one end of the string. Run the knotted end into the bottle, turn the bottle upside down with the small end of the cork turned toward the crown of the bottle. Gently pull the string out, and as the knot slides against the cork, it will pop out.) The knot is the key to the success of removing the cork.
— If something as small as a knot can serve such an important role, think how important each of us are to our patrol and troop.
The DOLLAR BILL
(You’ll need two crisp, new dollar bills. Hold one up to show.)
– Can you all see this dollar bill? Pretty nice looking, isn’t it? See how it’s crisp, clean, and neat? (Crumple the bill up into a small ball.) Who still wants it? OK, just a second. (Drop it on the ground and grind it with your foot.) Who still wants it? (Hold the crumpled bill in one hand and the second clean bill in the other.)
– One of these bills is good looking, clean, and nice to look at. The other is kind of grimey, crumpled, and not too pleasant. But, neither is more valuable than the other. Their worth is not based on how they look.
— Like these dollars are valuable because they are dollars, people are valuable just because they are people, not because of how they look.
FILLING OUR JAR
(You’ll need: a glass jar, some rocks, pebbles, sand, and water, -or- use doughnut holes, M&Ms, sugar, and milk. Before starting, make sure there are enough rocks, pebbles, sand, and water that will fit in the jar. Put pebbles, sand, and water into separate cans or containers so the contents can not be seen.)
– There is only so much a person can do. I have a real job (put rock in jar). I teach a Sunday School class (add a rock). I volunteer at school (add a rock). I run to stay in shape (add a rock, and continue listing other main things you do until you reach the top of the jar). So, there, I’m full. I can’t do anything else, even if someone asked.
– I expect most of you are the same way. You are so busy, you can’t possibly take on anything else. Your jar is full like mine. But, maybe if its not too big, I can still do it. Like drive for a weekend campout, or arrange a fundraiser, or help at church one week, or plan a service project, or organize a parents picnic (add pebbles to the jar as you list the activities. Shake the jar to settle them until it is full).
– Wow, I guess I could do a little more than I thought. But, now, that’s it, really. I couldn’t possibly do more. Just like you, I’m doing too much now. Well, maybe if its just a small thing, I could. Like shoveling my neighbor’s walk, or leading a game at a meeting, or helping someone with schoolwork, or cleaning the church for an hour (pour the sand in as you list the items. Shake to settle).
– Huh! Well, what do you know. Looks like I could do a bit more than I thought. I guess I just needed to make the time. As you can see, my jar is definitely full. I did more than I thought I could and I’m really able to accomplish a lot. No way could I fit anything else in. But, now I don’t have time for just relaxing. How can I just have fun? There’s no room left. (Pour water in as you list things.) I want to watch TV, play video games, see a movie, play football, … So, what does this mean? It seems I can do much more than I thought and I still have a little time to play.
— The point is that we need to get the big rocks—the important things— scheduled into our life first. Decide what is most important to us and make time for it. Then, fill in our time with other worthwhile, meaningful activities. That time left over is our relaxing time. We should be careful not to fill our life with the little things first, or there won’t be room for the big, important things.
FRAPPINGS OF LIFE
(You’ll need two Scout staves and a lashing rope. Before the presentation, tell a senior Scout who is well-versed in tying square lashings that he’s going to help out during the Scoutmaster Minute.)
– I’ve asked a couple of you to help me out for a minute. (Bring up the senior Scout and a new Scout. Have the new Scout hold the staves so one crosses perpendicular to the other.)
– To the senior Scout: Would you please take this lashing rope and start a square lashing on these poles? Now, those wraps look very good to me. They hold the poles close together and lay them out in the right shape. I’m sure they’ll hold the poles together just fine. But, now that you’ve finished the wraps, stop lashing for a second.
– To the new Scout: Would you please wiggle those poles and see how tight the lashing is? Hmmm, they sure have a lot of loose play in them—not as good as they could be.
– To the senior Scout: Go ahead and add the frapping turns.
– The wrapping turns held the poles in the right position, but this extra effort of adding the frapping is making a difference. The entire lashing is getting tighter, stronger, and more secure.
– To the new Scout: Now give those poles a wiggle and see how they hold. Not bad! That extra effort made a much better result. Some of the newer Scouts may have thought the lashing was done after the wrapping turns and it was good enough.
— Whether in lashing or in life, don’t forget the frapping turns. Like the frapping turns, it’s that extra special effort on top of what we do that makes what we do the best it can be.
GIVE IT YOUR ALL!
(You will need one baking potato that’s not overly hard and two plastic drinking straws. Hold up the potato.)
– Think of this potato as your obstacle to a desired goal, whether it’s your advancement to the next Scouting rank, or earning money for a new mountain bike. (Hold up the first plastic straw in your other hand.)
– Now think of this straw as your desire to reach your goal on the other side of the obstacle—in this case, the potato. (Push the straw against the potato. The straw will bend over.) Notice that if you go at your obstacle halfheartedly, your will to reach your goal is easily bent. You are easily kept from your goal.
(Take the second straw and hold it in your fist, placing your thumb over the open end of the straw.)
– But, if you are willing to give it your all, you can easily reach your goal on the other side! (Carefully thrust the straw at the potato, keeping your thumb over the open end of the straw. The trapped air in the straw makes it more rigid and the straw should thrust cleanly into the potato. Hold up the potato and straw to show the Scouts that indeed you have reached your goal.)
— Not giving up is very important, even if an obstacle seems too great to surpass!
The INSIGNIFICANT PIN
– Let me show you something I have in my pocket. It’s not very big. In fact, I can almost lose it in my pocket. (Take out a full-sized safety pin.) Ah, here it is—a safety pin. It came from the bottom of the trinket box that sits on my counter and collects tiny things like paper clips, thumb tacks, and screws. You’ll find a pin like this one at home, maybe in a sewing basket or dresser drawer or even in a trinket box like mine.
– Now when you look at this tiny piece of metal, it seems very insignificant. And, sometimes, that is just the way we feel in this big bustling world. Right now, this pin and the pins you have tucked away at home don’t have a purpose. One day that will change though. Perhaps you will be on a camping trip, or rushing off somewhere, and you will realize that there’s a button missing from your coat. You won’t have another button or the time to search for one, but a safety pin will hold together your coat just fine until you can find a button and sew it on.
— If you ever feel like this safety pin—as if you have no purpose—remember that, one day, when you least expect it, your time will come. You will have a chance to do something worthwhile, some little helpful thing that will be very important to someone. Our job is to be prepared for that moment. Then, when our chance comes along, we will be ready to do your best to help out. We’ll be surprised to find how often those opportunities to help will pop up, if we are prepared to meet them.
LOSING YOUR TEMPER
(Hold up a sheathed hand ax for all to see.)
– I have in my hand a tool that helped the pioneers blaze a trail across our country. Many lives depended upon this instrument to protect, shelter, and feed them. The care and handling of the ax, of course, was given only to a very responsible individual, one who was certain to keep it sharp and clean, one who would know that placing the ax too close to a fire would heat up the metal and cause it to lose its temper. Once the steel of an ax loses it’s temper, it’s useless.
— From time to time, all of us get involved in an argument or some fiery discussion. When things get out of hand, we should always try to remain calm and in control of ourself. If we become overheated in those situations and lose our temper, we’ll find ourself rendered as useless as that ax.
MATCHES
(Needed is a small bundle of wooden matches and a rubber band. Gather up the matches and neatly bundle them together so that they will stand when you set them down.)
– Our troop is much like these matches. (Stand the matches on end for everyone to see.) You might have noticed that we all stick together. It is the trust, friendship, and knowledge of everyone here that makes us feel this way. We know that when the going gets tough, like on some of our campouts, if we stick together we will come out on top. When we work well together, everyone does their job. The tents are set up, the cooks prepare fine meals, and the wood crew brings in enough of the right kind of firewood. We stick together.
– But what happens if we don’t stick together? (Pick up the bundle of matches and take the rubber band off. Then set the bundle back on the floor. Let the matches fall and scatter.)
— If we don’t stick together, we will all fall apart just as these matches did. When this happens we cannot accomplish as much as we can as a team. Thanks for sticking together.
OUR FLAG
(To start this presentation, turn off the room’s lights and illuminate the US flag with a bright LED flashlight. The presentation can be read from the back by the light of an additional flashlight.)
– Our flag stands for freedom and equality. It is the banner of a people who are still willing to lay down their lives in defense of right, justice, and freedom. It is the emblem by which we proclaim to the world that this is “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
– Our flag is an emblem of true patriotism—the patriotism of deeds; the patriotism of courage, of loyalty, of devotion to freedom, justice, and humanity; the patriotism of men who have lived and died, not for themselves but for their country.
— When we look at our flag—its stars and stripes, its vivid red, white, and blue—and read its story and hear its message, when we contemplate what our flag means and what it stands for, and when we consider the sacrifices made and the lives given so that our flag could still be flying over us today, we are quietly reminded to cherish, to protect, and to defend it.
The PARABLE OF THE TOOTHPASTE
(Hold a tube of toothpaste in one hand, and a plate in the other.)
– Have you ever squeezed too much toothpaste out of a tube of toothpaste and tried to put it back in the tube? It can’t be done, can it? No matter how hard you try, the toothpaste is out of the tube forever. (Squeeze a bunch of toothpaste out of the tube onto the plate, and go through the actions of trying to get it back inside.)
– Toothpaste is similar to unkind words. Once unkind words come out of your mouth, you cannot take them back.
— So when we are tempted to say something unkind, we should remember the parable of the toothpaste, and keep the unkind words to ourselves.
REACH HIGH THE FIRST TIME
Tape a large piece of paper on a wall at your eye level. Ask two or three Scouts to come up and make a mark on the paper with a marker as high as they can reach. Thank them for their effort and allow them to return to their seats.
– We can all usually do better than our first effort. Each of the Scouts who made a mark on this paper were asked to make it as high as they could. Let’s have them come back up here and see if they can do better than their first effort. (It never fails that they will always reach two to three inches higher on the second try.)
— This is a good opportunity to emphasize doing one’s very best, and to give every project one’s “second effort” on the first try.
A SCOUT IS CLEAN
(Two cups are needed: one clean, opaque cup filled with very dirty water, and one opaque cup, dirty on the outside and filled with clean water. The soiling of the outside of the dirty cup and the murkiness of the water in the clean cup must be exaggerated. Hold up both cups so that the Scouts can see the outsides clearly but not what is inside.)
– Which of these cups of water do you think I should drink from? You probably think that I should drink from the clean cup. But, you see, the cup that appears clean really contains very dirty water. (Walk around the room and show the dirty water to the Scouts.) It’s the other cup, the one that looks dirty on the outside, that is really clean. (Show the clean water.)
– It doesn’t really matter if we play hard and get dirty doing the many fun activities we do in our troop. We can always take a shower and get clean again. But, it is a little harder to keep our insides clean.
— When the Scout Law says “A Scout is clean,” it is also referring to our inside selves. A Scout has clean language, clean manners, and clean thinking.
A SIMPLE CLOTH AND A COMMON THREAD
– They are woven of simple cloth and common thread. They are no more than an inch and a half in diameter, and weigh no more than a couple of ounces. They are priceless, yet only cost a few dollars. They have the power to turn struggle into courage, self-doubt into self-esteem, and the unknown into knowledge. And the most magical metamorphosis of all is they can help transform a Scout into a adult. What are these mysterious things? (Hold up a merit badge sash with merit badges sewn on.) Merit badges.
– Take full advantage of each and every opportunity that earning a merit badge provides. Take each requirement seriously. Conscientiously learn everything the badge requires you to learn. Master the skills so you can take them back to our troop and share them with your fellow Scouts.
— Each of these badges might very well appear to be small, but in actuality, what they represent is a body of knowledge and experience that is much larger.
STRETCHING THE TRUTH
– Have you ever stretched a rubber band? It always comes back to its original shape. (Hold up a large rubber band and demonstrate.)
– What about a sweater. Ever try to stretch one. You can, but it’s much harder to get it back to it’s original shape. Often you can see bumps and bulges where it was stretched. (Hold up an old sweater and demonstrate, trying to get the stretched part back into shape.)
– Now the truth, that’s a different thing. The trouble with stretching the truth is a little like stretching a sweater. It’s hard to get it back to it’s true shape again, although your chances are much better with the sweater.
— A Scout is trustworthy. It’s the very first point of the Scout Law.
SYMBOLS
– There are a lot of symbols that we recognize. (One at a time, show a picture of a famous logo, e.g. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Apple Computers, Facebook, etc.) When you see these symbols, you know what they stand for.
– You, too, are a symbol. You represent the Boy Scouts of America. People see you and know that you stand for something good. You stand for being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
— We should be good symbols!
TURK’S HEAD
(Make a large Turk’s head knot about 4 to 6 inches around. Before your Minute begins, pass the Turk’s head around for all of the Scouts to see.)
– Who knows what this is? See how the strands of rope go in and around each other, and seem to never end? Working as a patrol, you Scouts are like the strands of this Turk’s head knot, in that you must learn to work in and around other people to reach a common goal. (Next, pull two opposite strands apart so that the shape of the Turk’s head is distorted.)
– This is what happens when the patrol members do not work together. The patrol becomes all bent out of shape. (Begin rolling the knot around your fingers or hands; this should put the shape back into the Turk’s head.)
– This external “working” could be our senior patrol leader, or another junior leader working with the patrol to set the example on working together.
— A patrol that’s in good shape is like a team where everyone works together.
TWO BACKPACKS
(Wear two book bag-sized packs, one on the back, the other on the chest.)
– Life can be seen as a journey. While we travel along, figuratively we are equipped with two knapsacks, one to be carried on our backs and the other on our chest. The average hiker along the trail of life puts the faults of others in the sack on his chest so that he can always see them. “Jeez. That guy just can’t control his temper.” (Open up the front bag and make an action like you’re putting something inside.)
– His own faults he puts in the bag on his back so that he can’t see them without some effort. “Hey! Even though you say you like them and think they’re easy to cook, I’m sick and tired of you guys always having hotdogs!” (Spoken with an inappropriately loud, angry voice, and followed by a pronounced effort to reach around and act like you’re placing something in the bag on your back. After that, regain your composure.)
– And so, he hikes through life constantly seeing the errors of others, but overlooking his own mistakes. This pack arrangement is bad, because for a successful hike through life we should strive to become the best person we can be. So place your bag of faults upon your chest and put the bag of other people’s faults and mistakes behind you.
— We can help others much more easily by first being our own best example. (Switch the bags around. Take a look inside the bag of faults at your chest.)“I’ve really got to work on my anger problem.”
TWO KINDS OF BUCKETS
(Two buckets of the same size are needed, one with a bail, the other without. Both are filled with water almost to the rim, and are placed on one end of a large plastic ground cloth spread out up front.
– Two buckets equal in size when filled to the rim will hold the same amount of water. Neither bucket has a hole so, as long as they are not moved, they are equally effective holding water. However, one bucket has a bail, or a handle to carry it by, and the other does not. Have you ever tried to carry a bucket without a handle? The water will slosh out and you usually spill most of the contents. The bucket with a handle is easily movable, and the contents can be carried with little or no spillage. Let’s have two of you come up and demonstrate how easy or difficult it is to carry the buckets a couple of feet.
— People are sometimes a lot like the buckets. Some are out of control, leaving splashes everywhere they go for someone to clean up after. Others are like the bucket with a handle, leaving no mess or bother. Which kind of bucket are you?
WHICH PATH?
(Draw on a chalk or white board, two paths across a field both leading from point A to point B, but one straight, the other made up of four zig-zagging lines as follows.)
– It was a cold spring morning. A light snow had fallen during the night. You know, the kind that just covers the grass. I was visiting my grandparents on their farm. It was still very early when my grandfather and I started across a field to check a fence.
– Being the curious type, I first had to run down to the creek to see if it had frozen during the night. Then, as I started back across the field, I noticed a spot where a deer had bedded down for the night, and I just had to check that out, too.
– When I’d satisfied my curiosity, I headed back toward my grandfather. I could see that he hadn’t reached the fence yet, so I still had time to check out the spot where yesterday I had found an arrowhead before sprinting to the fence, just before my grandfather got there. We stood there for a few minutes, and then he told me to look back across the field at our two paths, which were very visible in the new snow.
– There was his, straight as an arrow from the barn to the fence. My path was scattered here and there, going first to the stream, then to where the deer had bedded down, then across the field where I had yesterday found an arrowhead. He asked me, “Which path was the correct one?” When I said, “I don’t know,” he replied, “Both are. Mine is surely faster and easier, but I didn’t get to see the things that you saw.”
– Remember, you always have a goal, just as we did in getting to the fence today, but sometimes, if you can, take the time to explore the wonders of life.
— Whenever possible, we should take time and smell the roses.
WITHOUT PROPS 1
The examples listed in this section can be adapted and used as a point of reference to inspire Scouts, open their eyes, and/or get them thinking.
ACHIEVING A GOAL
– Have you ever had an assignment or task that was so large that you were overwhelmed with the size of it and didn’t know where to begin? When you are faced with such a task, ask yourself this question, “If you had to eat an elephant, how would you approach it?” The answer is simple: One bite at a time. Just like eating an elephant, you would go about doing the big assignment one bite at a time.
— Whether it’s climbing to the top of a mountain or advancing to the next rank in Scouting, when we’re faced with large and complicated task, we should plan our action, get started, and take one step at a time. Sure, we can keep our eye on the prize; but we need to remember that when there’s such a long path to travel, we can proceed little by little, step by step, one bite at a time. In this way, with persistence and dedication, eventually we’ll achieve our goal.
AIM HIGH
– The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential. Get out of that slow lane. Shift into the fast lane. If we think we can’t, we won’t. If we think we can, there’s a good chance we will. Just making the effort will make us feel like a new person.
— Reputations are made by searching for things that others say can’t be done and doing them. Aim low: boring. Aim high: soaring.
ASPENS
– Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico has some of the prettiest and most majestic scenery you’ll ever be surrounded by. One outstanding site is hiking near a huge groves of aspen trees. If you’ve ever seen a grove of aspens wave in a breeze, you have witnessed their strength and beauty. A grove of aspens can withstand the mighty forces of nature because they are tightly bound together, both in their trunks and limbs, and in their root systems. Each tree draws strength from the others. However, one aspen standing alone would soon split or break in the force of a big wind.
— Your patrol is a lot like a grove of aspens. The strength and teamwork of a group of guys can accomplish tasks that would be impossible for individuals working independently. Each patrol member brings skills and talents that compliment the other members of the patrol.
ATTITUDE
– Words could never adequately convey how great the impact our attitude can have on our lives. In many respects, life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.
– I remember, when I was a Scout, peering out from my tent at our patrol leader on a very rainy morning. We had no dining fly, and he was cooking breakfast over a smokey fire. He was sopping wet. I recall noticing how drops of rain were dripping down off his hair as he mixed around the well-done scrambled eggs and water in the frying pan. What I also recall was the smile on his face. Cooking away in the smoke and the rain, he was actually cheerful! He could have chosen to be completely upset, but he hadn’t, and his marked cheerfulness affected me and our entire patrol.
— One of the most significant decisions we can make on a day-to-day basis is our choice of attitude. Attitude can keep us going or cripple our progress. It’s our attitude that either fuels our fire or assaults our hope. When our attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too wide, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, and no challenge too great.
The BEAR AND THE TWO TRAVELERS
– Two men were traveling together, when a bear suddenly met them on their path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he could. The bear soon left him, for it is said bears will not touch a dead body.
– When the bear was quite gone, the other Traveler descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend what it was the bear had whispered in his ear. “He gave me this advice,” his companion replied. “Never travel with a friend who deserts you at the approach of danger.”
— The moral of this fable is: Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends. (Don’t be like Hank Hill’s neighbor, Dale, on “King of the Hill,” who runs off at the first sign of difficulty. When something goes wrong in our patrol or with our troop, or whatever group we’re with, see what we can do to help. A Scout is Loyal.)
BE LOYAL TO YOUR GOALS
– Don considered himself a musician. He played the tambourine in junior high school, but he wasn’t very good. He also thought of himself as a singer, but he couldn’t have carried a tune in a bucket.
– Years passed, and when all of his school friends were going to college and pursuing careers, Don nurtured his dream of becoming a singer–songwriter by moving to Nashville, Tennessee. Once there, Don made the most of his limited resources. He bought a used car and slept in it. He took a job working nights so he could visit record companies during the day. He learned to play the guitar. As years passed, he kept writing songs, practicing, and knocking on doors.
– After many years, Don finally got a song on the radio and it made the country hit charts. More time passed and Kenny Rogers recorded one of his songs. “The Gambler” was the title song for one of the best-selling country music albums of that time. Since then, Don Schlitz has had 23 number one songs on the charts and is a member of the Song Writer’s Hall of Fame. As a result of his focused determination, the teenage dreamer had become a success.
— Don had done five things essential to success, without even knowing it. They are the following:
1. Define your goals. Set a goal and picture yourself accomplishing that goal.
2. Seek out those who know more than you do. Model your efforts on theirs, adjusting and improving as you go.
3. Pursue your vision with determination. Successful people don’t quit. The biggest difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t is usually not talent, but persistence.
4. Make an emotional commitment. You will sometimes want to quit after too many losses, but you have to pull yourself together with enthusiasm and commitment.
5. Review and renew your goals. As you reach your goals, set new ones. Go to the next level.
BE PREPARED FOR WHAT?
– What are the two words inscribed upon the Second Class Badge? “Be prepared.” Our motto.
There is a story of a Scout in Oklahoma. His younger sister went too near a gas heater and instantly her clothes were in flames. The father and this 13-year-old Scout rushed up the stairs to try to help. Remembering his first-aid work, the Scout knew what to do and he did it immediately. He grabbed a small rug and rolled the screaming child in it. He had been prepared. In a moment he had smothered the flames and prevented serious injury to his sister.
– “Thank God my son is a Scout,” the boy’s father told the Scoutmaster. “He knew what to do while I stood confused.”
— That’s what it means to be prepared. Once someone asked Baden-Powell, “Be prepared— for what?” “Why, for any old thing!” he replied.
BRAVERY
– Actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris knows that might does not always mean right. He explains:
Not long ago, after a day of filming my television series, I went alone to a small Texas cafe. As I sat in a corner booth, a large man towered over me and said with an edge to his voice that I was sitting in his booth. I didn’t like his tone or his implicit threat, but I said nothing and moved to another booth. A few minutes later, though, the big fellow was headed back in my direction. Here he comes, I thought, a local tough out to make a name for himself by taking on Chuck Norris in a fight. When he arrived at my new booth, he looked directly at me.
– “You’re Chuck Norris,” he said. I nodded.
– “You could have whipped me good back there a few minutes ago,” he said. “Why didn’t you?”
– “What would it have proved?” I asked. He thought that over for a moment and then offered me his hand. “No hard feelings?” he said.
– “None,” I said, and shook his hand. I had avoided a confrontation and made a friend. I had won by losing.
— The confidence and contentment we feel regarding our own capabilities shouldn’t depend on showing them off. Just because we have a skill, doesn’t mean we have to prove it to others, and it’s often preferable not to.
The BULLFROG
– Once there was a very large green bullfrog who lived in a modest sized pond. Even though many other animals and fish lived around this pond the bullfrog didn’t have any friends. You see, the friends he once had were gone. They were tired of his boasting and tried to stay out of his way.
– This situation changed when the geese began to migrate through the area. Two geese actually became his friends. They spent many a long day visiting, swimming and doing the things friends do. Then one day the two geese told the frog it was time for them to continue their migration. The frog was sad and asked if they could take him with them. He suggested that they let him climb on one of their backs and hang onto their neck. Both geese agreed that he was entirely too fat for one goose to carry.
– Further saddened, the frog began to think and finally came up with an idea. “Listen,” he said, “how about we take a string and each of you take hold of a end with your mouth and bite down hard, then I will bite in the middle of the string and you can fly me between you.” The geese pondered the idea and decided to give it a try.
– All were ready and the geese began to flap and run. The frog hopped along with the string in his mouth until he was lifted from the ground and was airborne. “Oh, what a feeling!” thought the frog. Onward they flew for days on end until they flew over a farmer out in his field.
– The farmer looked up and upon seeing the geese and frog remarked, “My, my, a flying frog! I wonder who taught those geese to fly such a big frog?” Hearing this the frog said, “I DID!!!.” That night the farmer feasted on very large succulent frog legs.
— We should check our ego, and not let it get so far out of control that we lose our friends or worse yet, end up on someone’s dinner plate.
BULL’S-EYE
– Many years ago a youth traveling through the countryside noticed that on many of the barns was a large bull’s-eye painted on it with an arrow squarely in the center of the target. Thinking they’d like to meet the great archer, they asked around and learned the name of the person, who lived in a nearby village. They introduced themself, and asked the archer for a demonstration of his great skills. “Sure,” said the archer, and they walked to the outskirts of town to a barn. He carried his bow and a quiver of arrows and several buckets of paint and some brushes. He selected a barn site, carefully took aim at the barn, and hit it squarely in the middle. Then he walked up to the arrow, and carefully painted the bull’s-eye around the arrow. He then proudly stood back and admired his work.
— Often, things are not as they seem. We need to be careful with our assumptions and not be misled by things as they sometimes appear.
The CARPENTER
– An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he would build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
– When the carpenter finished his work, and the builder came to inspect the house, his employer handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you for many years of faithful service!”
– What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
– So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less than the best. At important points, we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock, we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that, we would have done it differently.
— Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. This is your life. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. Your life today is the result of your choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your choices you make today.
CHARACTER
– Part of Scouting’s purpose is to build character. One time, a troop was asked if anyone could define character? One Scout said character is thinking good thoughts, and another said it is being a good citizen. Another said character is having good morals, and another said it is being honest and courageous.
– Then a young Scout held up his hand and when called upon said, “Character is what you do when nobody’s looking.”
— Think about that for a moment, and see if you don’t agree. A good way to measure our own character is to examine what we ourselves do when nobody’s looking.
CONFIDENCE
– If you think you’re beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost for sure, you won’t.
– If you think you’re losing, you’ve lost.
For out in the world we find:
Success begins with a person’s will.
It’s all in your state of mind.
– If you think you’re outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You have to stay with it,
In order to win the prize.
– Life’s battles don’t always go,
To the one with the better plan.
For more often than not, you will win,
If only you think you can.
COOPERATION
– We’re hopeless at racing,
Me and my friend;
I’m slow at the start,
He’s slow at the end.
– He gets a cramp,
I get sore feet,
And neither one of us,
Cares to compete.
– But cooperation’s,
A different case;
You should just see us,
In the three-legged race!
— A team that cooperates well together can triumph over the skills of those who don’t.
The DEVIL’S SALE
– There is a story that the devil once announced he was going out of business and offered to sell his tools to anyone who would pay the price. On the night of the sale, the tools were all attractively displayed. They were a nasty looking lot: prejudice, hatred, envy, laziness, dishonesty—each marked with a price tag. A little off from the rest lay a harmless looking wedge-shaped tool, much worn, and priced higher than any of the others. “What is it?” someone asked the devil.
– “That’s discouragement,” he replied.
– “Why is it priced so high?” the prospective customer asked.
– “Because,” said the devil, “it is more useful to me than any of the others. I can pry open and get inside a person with it when I could never get near him with any of the others. Once inside, I can use the person in whatever way it suits me best. That’s why it is so worn, you see. I use it with nearly everybody, because few people yet know that it belongs to me.” It’s probably not necessary to add that the devil’s price for this tool was so high that there were no bidders. And he is still using it.
— When things aren’t going our way and we’re experiencing repeated disappointments, we shouldn’t let ourselves lose heart and fall prey to feeling lost and defeated. Instead, we should hold our head up and keep a stiff upper lip—put our best foot forward and keep on keeping on. That’s the best course of action, to overcome whatever difficulties we’re faced with.
The DOG AND HIS SHADOW
– A dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of meat in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for that of another dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He immediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the other dog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a reflection, and his own, because the stream swept it away.
— We shouldn’t be greedy, but be content with what we have and if we want or need more, we should do what’s necessary and acceptable, and see if we can work for it.)
DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
– You’ve failed many times, although you might not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn’t you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot. Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs. R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on. English novelist John Creasey received more than 700 rejection slips before he published over 600 books.
— We shouldn’t be worried about failure. We should be concerned about the chances we miss when we don’t even try.
DO THE RIGHT THING
(This is NOT a true story. It has been circulating for many years, but is just a story and should not be presented as fact.)
– A long time ago, there lived a poor farmer in Scotland who was out working his fields when he heard a cry for help. He went to where the plea for help was coming from and found a boy caught and sinking in a bog. He worked his way through the bog and with the aid of a staff was able to free the boy. After doing so, the farmer went back to work in his fields and didn’t think anymore about it.
– The next day, a fine horse-drawn carriage pulled up in front of the farmer’s hut. Out of it stepped a well-dressed nobleman who was the father of the boy the farmer had rescued the day before. The grateful father wanted to reward the farmer for rescuing his son. But the farmer, as desperately poor as he was, would not accept money for helping someone in need.
– The nobleman still wanted to reward the farmer for saving his son and was trying to think of some way to do so when the farmer’s own son came to the doorway of the hut. Seeing him, the nobleman then made this proposition to the farmer: let him take the boy and he would educate him. The farmer hesitated at first but then finally agreed.
– Through the education that the farmer’s son received he became a scientist. The boy grew up to be Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. A number of years after, the nobleman’s own son was stricken with pneumonia which was a death sentence before penicillin. The nobleman’s son that was saved was Sir Winston Churchill.
—- Each of us, as we live our lives, will have opportunities to help people and will have to make moral decisions like the poor Scottish farmer did. As badly as he needed money, his personal code that he lived by would not allow him to accept money for helping someone else in need. If he would have taken the money, his son would not have received an education and the world would not have penicillin which has saved tens of millions of lives, not to mention the life of Winston Churchill who led England through the darkest days of World War II against Nazi Germany. The Scottish farmer died without ever knowing that one small moral decision he made changed the world and saved millions of lives.
As you live your life never underestimate the power of doing the right thing.
The EAGLE AND THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN
– There once was an Indian brave that was walking down the trail when he discovered an eagle’s egg had fallen out of its nest. He looked up and saw that the nest was too high for him to return the egg. So he placed the egg in a nearby prairie chicken nest. When the egg hatched, the little eagle thought he was a prairie chicken.
– Prairie chickens stay on the ground and eat only worms and grubs. So, as the eagle grew, he ate nothing but worms and grubs and walked around with the other prairie chickens. One day, he looked up in the sky and saw some eagles soaring high above. He asked one of the prairie chickens, “How can they fly up there while we are down here eating worms and grubs?” The prairie chicken answered, “They are the eagles, they can do that, but we must stay down here. We are prairie chickens and that is what we do.” So, the eagle spent the rest of his life flying very little and eating worms and grubs just because he was told that was all he could do.
— The moral of the story is that you should stretch your boundaries and try new things rather than listening to the limitations that others have put on themselves.
An EMPTY POT
– A Chinese Emperor is dying and needs to pick his successor. It so happened that this Emperor loved gardening, so he decides to let the seeds choose. He calls all the children to the palace and gives each one of them a seed to grow. They are instructed to return in the Spring with their plant. Whoever has tended their plant the best will be named Emperor.
– One little boy, known among the children as an excellent gardener, cannot get his seed to grow. Try as he will, he can’t get the seed to grow. While all of the other children bring huge, beautiful plants when Spring arrives, he has nothing but an empty pot to present to the Emperor. But, no one knew that before presenting the seeds to the children, the Emperor had baked each one, assuring they could never grow. Only one child was honest enough to present an empty pot, and he was rewarded with being named Emperor.
— Honesty is the best policy.
EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW
– Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s ark.
One: Don’t miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, you might have to do something really big.
Five: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you’re stressed, float a while.
Ten: Remember, the ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
The FARMER AND THE STORK
– A farmer placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught a number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he also trapped a Stork who earnestly beseeched the Farmer to spare his life.
– “Pray save me, Master,” he said, “and let me go free this once. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork, a bird of excellent character. Look too, at my feathers; they are not the least like those of a Crane.”
– The Farmer laughed aloud and said, “It may be all as you say, but I only know this: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company.”
— Birds of a feather flock together. This is an example of Guilt by Association. We should evaluate the deeds of those with whom we associate before we hang out with them.)
A FOX AND A LEOPARD
– A Fox and a Leopard, resting lazily after a generous dinner, amused themselves by disputing about their good looks. The Leopard was very proud of his glossy, spotted coat and made disdainful remarks about the Fox, whose appearance he declared was quite ordinary. The Fox prided himself on his fine bushy tail with its tip of white, but he was wise enough to see that he could not rival the Leopard in looks. Still he kept up a flow of sarcastic talk, just to exercise his wits and to have the fun of disputing.
– The Leopard was about to lose his temper when the Fox got up, yawning lazily. “You may have a very smart coat,” he said, “but you would be a great deal better off if you had a little more smartness inside your head and less on your ribs, the way I am. That’s what I call real beauty.”
— A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind.
GIVING
– In Israel, there are two major bodies of water. Both of these bodies of water are fed by the River Jordan. One is the Sea of Galilee, which is full of fish and is surrounded by lush vegetation and trees. It is a living body in every sense. The other is the Dead Sea. There is nothing green there. there are no fish, and the sea is stagnant and dead.
– The difference is that the Sea of Galilee overflows. For every gallon of water that flows into the sea, a gallon is given up and is passed on downstream. It is constantly renewing itself. It gives as much as it takes. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, because of its geography, only takes. It gives up nothing. The water there is never cleansed; it stagnates and dies, and everything depending on it dies also.
— Some people say that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who constantly give of themselves (who help other people at all times), and those who only take. Which kind are we?
The GOLDEN WINDOWS
– It was getting toward the end of summer and I was about to enter the second grade. Each morning all summer long I had noticed a particular house up on a hill about a mile away. This house, I thought, must be spectacular because every morning when I got up, it looked like it had golden windows.
– On this particular morning, I decided to go see the house with golden windows. I packed a lunch and started out on my big journey. Not long after I started, I came to a fence and couldn’t resist the temptation to see how far I could walk along the top rail. Then, I continued on my way until I came to a stream, where I stopped for a long while to catch crayfish and minnows. By that time I was hungry and I ate my lunch. Starting up the hill to the house with the golden windows, I happened to see a porcupine. For a long, long time we stared at each other. Finally, I gave up and returned to my quest.
– When I did reach the house with the golden windows, I was very disappointed. There was the house, but instead of being majestic, it was a deserted, rundown shambles. The railings were falling off the porch, the screen door was off its hinges, the yard needed mowing, and the flower garden was overgrown with weeds. I was crushed.
– Sadly, I sat down on the front steps and just happened to gaze back toward my own home. There, in the late afternoon sun, was my house with golden windows!
— Often in life we think that someone else has it far better than we do, or maybe that we should have a position much better than the one we have. But, we really should stop and think about all that we have and be thankful.
GOOD TURN
– Does anyone know when the Boy Scouts of America was started? It was the year 1910. Now for a tougher question: Who started the BSA? Not Baden-Powell. He started Scouting in England. It was an American businessman, William D. Boyce. In 1909, William Boyce was wandering around London and got lost in a dense fog. A young boy found him and led him to his destination. The boy refused to accept a tip from Boyce, saying that he was a Boy Scout. That intrigued Boyce, and he later asked the boy to take him to meet Lord Baden-Powell.
– Because of that meeting, the Boy Scouts of America was officially organized in 1910. There have been more than 93 million Americans involved in the BSA since then.
— The Scout slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” That is what the Boy Scout in 1909 did for William Boyce, and that is what we should always try to do, every day—a Good Turn, without expecting reward.
GOOD WOOD
– Before beginning a new construction, a carpenter picks out the best available materials. The wooden boards he selects are the most straight and sound he can find. The quality of his building materials contribute to the quality of his finished product.
– Likewise, our character is the material we’re using to build our future life. Ten to twenty years from now, we as well as others will begin to see what we’ve built. The question is, are the boards we’re selecting straight or is the wood warped?
— Building good character is a central purpose of the Boy Scouts of America.
HONEY-POT
– A number of flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been overturned in a housekeeper’s room, and placing their feet in it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were trapped. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, “O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves.”
— Pleasure bought with pains, hurts. Here are some small examples: playing in puddles and getting all wet on a cold-weather camping trip, eating a large quantity of powdered drink mix, staying up too late and then oversleeping and missing breakfast.
HOT COCOA
– At a jamboree trading post a Scout had spread out his collection of trinkets, including some fine beadwork, neckerchief slides, and patches. At a snack bar nearby, a lady picked up her cup of hot cocoa, but instantly found it too hot to handle. She juggled it for several seconds, and then lost control. The cocoa drenched the Scout’s prize collection of beautiful souvenirs, but, there was no burst of angry protest—not even a rueful glance at the thoroughly ruined display. Instead, this real Scout was instantly on his feet inquiring anxiously of the startled and dismayed lady, “Did you burn yourself, ma’am?”
— See what we mean when we speak of Scout spirit helping us to think of other people before we think of ourselves?
The HOUSE OF 1,000 MIRRORS
– Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.”
– In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
— All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE
– Some of you probably have outdoor clothing you wear that is made from Polartech or Polarfleece material. The company that makes these materials is called Malden Mills. The owner of the company is a deeply religious man named Aaron Feuerstein. On December 31, 1995, his factory caught fire and burned to the ground. The factory employed 3,400 workers and was the main employer for two neighboring towns. The area once had many mills but most had closed and moved to areas where they could pay people less money to work. Mr. Feuerstein felt that people should be paid a decent wage and so he wouldn’t move his factory.
– The fire occurred on his 70th birthday. The workers believed it was the end of the line for their jobs. Surely, Mr. Feuerstein would take the $300 million in insurance money and call it quits. While the smoke was still rising from the charred remains of the fire, Mr. Feuerstein called his workers together at a school gymnasium and spoke to them. They were about to discover what kind of man they worked for.
– He announced that he would not abandon them. He was going to rebuild the factory. He told them that he was keeping all 3,400 of them on the payroll for one month and that each would get a $275 Christmas bonus. Once the factory was rebuilt, they would get their jobs back. Grown men wept in the audience as he spoke.
– After the first month ended, he paid them for another month. After the second month ended, he paid them for a third month. It cost him $1.5 million dollars a week to do this. He also paid their hospitalization insurance. His employees responded by salvaging what equipment they could, and in temporary buildings got production up to what it was before the fire, while the new factory was being built.
– Mr. Feuerstein received much praise from around the country, but he said he did only what was the moral and right thing to do. He used his money to support his beliefs in God, rather than make money his God.
— As each of you lives your life try to remember Mr. Feuerstein’s example and treat people you encounter with fairness and kindness. You will be amazed at how good you feel and how much better you will be treated in return.
I WISH I WAS LIKE THAT BROTHER
– Upon graduation from college a few years back, a young man received a gift from his older brother. It was a shiny new car, the car of his dreams! One morning as he approached the car, he saw a boy of about 12 peering through the windows into the car. The young man recognized him as the boy his parents paid to mow their lawn. Obviously enthralled with the car, the boy hadn’t heard the young man approaching. “Is this your car?” the boy asked when he finally noticed the man.
– “Yes, it is,” the man responded proudly.
– “Wow! This is a nice car!” remarked the boy. “How much did it cost?”
– “I don’t know,” the man answered.
– “It’s your car, but you don’t know how much it cost?”
– “No,” admitted the man. “You see, my brother bought it for me.”
– “I wish …I wish…I wish…” stuttered the boy. The man thought he was going to say, I wish I had a car like this. “I wish I was like that brother!” finished the boy. Amazed at the boy’s response, the young man offered to drive him around the block. The boy hopped in the car and soon asked if the man would drive him home. Thinking that the boy wanted to show off to his friends that he was riding in a new car, and since the boy and his own parents were such good friends, the man agreed.
– They drove more than a few blocks to where the boy lived and as he turned onto the street the man noticed that it wasn’t the best-kept neighborhood. The houses were dirty and run down. He pulled up in front of the boy’s house. “Please wait!” the boy yelled as he ran into the house. Oh, he’s probably going to get his family so he can show off the new car, the man thought.
– The front door opened and out came the boy. In his arms he carried a smaller boy, his younger brother who had been crippled since birth. The older boy brought his brother out to the car, and exclaimed as he hugged him tightly, “See, just like I told you! It’s a brand-new car! And someday, I’m going to buy you one just like it!”
— How unselfish this boy was, to be the kind of brother who looked after others before thinking about himself. What kind of Scouts are we? Are we like the older brother?
IS SANTA CLAUS A SCOUT?
– Is Santa Claus a Scout? One just needs to examine how he stacks up against the Scout law:
Trustworthy – You certainly can trust that Santa will show up every year.
Loyal – He’s very dedicated to his craft and his mission. Imagine the disappointment if he wasn’t loyal to his work.
Helpful – He saves many a dad from last minute shopping. Dads are notorious for leaving things to the last minute. Just ask a mom.
Friendly – How many adults would let a zillion kids sit on their lap and listen to what they want, and smile while doing it?
Courteous – He always says thanks for the 62 billion calories he gets in milk and cookies each year.
Kind – Delivering gifts to children is a great act of kindness.
Obedient – I emailed Mrs. Claus on this one. No reply, but seeing he’s been married for all those years, I’m going to bet he does what she tells him.
Cheerful – Ho, ho, ho! Need I say more?
Thrifty – Santa makes his own toys. That saves a bundle on shipping alone.
Brave – Would you get in a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer and fly? Me neither.
Clean – I’m not sure how he does it, but that red suit looks great even after the millionth chimney.
Reverent – Santa does his thing on a special night as part of a very religious holiday.
— So, is Santa Claus a Scout? For sure. This time of year no matter what holiday you celebrate, remember that doing your best and living the Scout Oath and Law are what make each of us really a Scout.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
– A hungry mountain lion came out of the hills, attacked a bull and killed it. As it feasted on its kill, the lion paused from time to time to roar in triumph. A hunter in the area heard the commotion, found the lion and shot him dead.
— The moral of the story is: When we’re full of bull, we should keep our mouth shut. In all seriousness, being loud and prideful can very easily work against us.
WITHOUT PROPS 2
he examples listed in this section can be adapted and used as a point of reference to inspire Scouts, open their eyes, and/or get them thinking.
The LEAD STEER
– In the early 1800s, before railroads, the only way to move cattle from the west to the big cities was to drive the huge herds of cattle across the planes to places like Kansas City and St. Louis. Trails like the Chisholm Trail were marked as the best routes that would provide water, food, river crossings, and safety from man and beast. Cowboys would be on the trail for weeks at a time moving the cattle before finally arriving at their destination.
– Each herd had a lead steer, which was usually an older longhorn that had been trained to lead the way along the trail. The cowboys would get the lead steer moving each morning, and he would slowly start leading the way up the trail to the destination. The herd would fall into line behind the lead steer and follow him. Cowboys would ride on the flanks and the rear to keep the stragglers from wandering away from the herd. The lead steer was so special that after completing a trail drive, the cowboys would drive him back home to lead another herd up the trail. This would be repeated time and again.
— The story of the lead steer points out that leadership is a valuable skill and that it is a skill that can be taught. As Scouts we will be given many opportunities.
LEARN HOW TO BEND
– In the field across the lane were two trees. One was a mighty Red Oak tree. Its wood was hard and its trunk was thick and strong. The other was a lean Willow tree. Its wood was a lot softer and its trunk was slimmer and more supple.
– One day a hurricane passed over the area with winds well over 100 miles an hour. How would the two trees fare in this terrible weather? Would the slender willow tree blow down from the force of these very strong winds?
– When the hurricane passed, pieces of branches and leaves were scattered all over the area. There were broken and torn off parts from all kinds of trees, even from far away. The big oak had cracked and fallen in the storm. But, the lean Willow tree was still standing. It had lost many leaves and was a little bent to one side, but it was still standing. It must have been tossed and blown, whipped back and forth in the heavy wind, but it was still standing. How could this be? How could the mighty oak, with all its great strength, break and fall, and this smaller tree, with softer wood, remain standing against the force of the winds? The answer is simple. The willow tree knew how to bend.
— Learning to bend is not a sign of weakness, it’s really a sign of strength. Often, for the good of the group, it’s important to compromise. Instead of being stubborn about what we want and the way we think things should be done, there will be occasions when we’ve just got to bend.
LEAVE A TRACE
– We spend quite a bit of time learning how to ‘Leave No Trace’ on our camping trips. We take extra care to ensure that we leave as little impact as possible and let others enjoy the unspoiled outdoors. But, you all know that no matter how hard we try, we do leave a trace—a footstep, some matted down grass, a broken twig.
– When camping, we concentrate on the physical traces we leave behind. But, every day, we are leaving a trace of our passing. Everywhere we go, everyone we meet, and everything we do leaves a trace that we were here. If we tell a little brother to shut up, that can leave an ugly trace that takes a long time to heal over. If we thank our mother for being a great mother, that will leave a good trace.
– We may only interact with a stranger for a couple seconds or with our friends for a couple hours, but no matter how long it is, we leave a trace of our passing all the time. It’s up to us to leave a trace that makes the world a better place.
— We may not think giving a cheerful “hello” to a kid at school, or a courteous “thank you” to someone that serves you, or a helpful holding the door open for a stranger, or a friendly smile to a small child in the mall really makes any difference, but it does! So, no matter what we do, we will leave a trace. Let’s do our best to make it a good trace.
A LESSON IN TRUST
– It seems that before the first man walked on the moon, NASA found an area of New Mexico where the topography was similar to the surface of the moon. They decided that it would be a good idea to take the astronauts and the lunar lander there to check out the equipment. They arrived at the area and unloaded all their gear.
– During the second day while working with the equipment they noticed a flock of sheep on the horizon. As it drew closer they could see several dogs herding the flock and two Navajo Indians walking behind. The Scientists knew that they were Navajo because the reservation was near by. The Two Navajo Indians set down on the ridge and watched the scientists work for several hours.
– Seeing the Navajos watching them, two of the scientist decided to go talk to them. After walking up the ridge they soon discovered that the old Navajo could only speak in his native tongue but his son could speak English. The old man said several things and his son translated, “He says, ‘What are those things down there?’” The scientist explained that they were men in space suits and that they would be traveling to the moon by rocket and once there they would get out and be the first men to walk upon the moon. The old man nodded and said a few more words that the son translated, “So, they will walk upon the moon?” And the scientist confirmed. The old man nodded and said a few more words. The son said, “He wants to know if he can send a message to the moon with these astronauts.” At this the scientist became very excited and searched their gear until they found a tape recorder. The old Navajo recorded his message. The scientist asked the boy to translate but he wouldn’t.
– They worked about a month next to the reservation but every time they asked someone to translate the message they would listen to it, smile and shake their head no. Finally they found a Professor of Native American studies that agreed to translate the message in exchange for some funding on a research project. He listened to the tape and smiled. He said, “This message is a warning, it says, ‘Look out for these guys, they are coming to steal your land.’”
— The reason the old Navajo sent this message was because he did not trust the white man. Trust is very fragile, it takes only one action on our part to destroy the trust others have in us. Often times when trust is breached it can never be rebuilt. A Scout is Trustworthy.
LESSONS FROM THE GEESE
– Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a V formation, you might consider that science has discovered why they fly that way:
A) As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation, the whole flock creates at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
— People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going faster and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
B) When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power from the bird in front.
— If we had as much sense as a goose we would stay in formation with those who are headed in the same direction that we are.
C) When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back and another goose flies point.
— It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs whether it’s with people or with geese flying south.
D) Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
— If we behaved as sensibly as geese, we’d make sure our honking was encouraging and helpful.
E) Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.
— If we had the sense of a goose, we would stand by each other like that.
The LION AND THE MOUSE
– Once when a lion was asleep a little mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wakened the lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
– “Pardon, O King,” cried the little mouse. “Forgive me this time, I shall never forget it. Who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?”
– The lion was so tickled at the idea of the mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
– Some time after the lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the king, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. “Was I not right?” said the little mouse.
— Size does not determine one’s value. Even the smallest of us can be of immeasurable service to the greatest.
LIVING BY THE SCOUT LAW
– What does it mean to be a good person. What does it mean to be a good Scout? Listen to these simple examples of things we might do on any given day:
1. telling the truth
2. sticking up for the kid being picked on
3. handing out papers for the teacher
4. letting everyone play a game
5. saying thank you to the clerk at a store
6. helping a kid that dropped his books instead of laughing at him
7. playing fair to have fun rather than to win no matter what
8. looking for a little fun in every job we have to do
9. using our boring old cellphone for another year because it still works
10. asking our buddies to not use bad language around us
11. listening to music that doesn’t promote hate, violence, and other trash
12. taking some time to appreciate and be thankful for all we have
– Those twelve ways were a simple example of each of the twelve points in the Scout Law.
— Being a good person by obeying the Scout Law is something we can do in all kinds of worthwhile and simple ways.
LOOK AT THE TURTLE
– What can we learn about ourselves from the turtle?
– First we see he has a shell—his armor, his means of defense. Secondly, we see the turtle’s persistence. He’s slow, he’s plodding, but he always gets where he’s going. His persistence is memorialized in the age-old story of the tortoise and the hare. The persistent tortoise outlasted the showy, flashy, and very fast hare. Finally, we see that the turtle can go nowhere unless he first sticks out his neck.
— We are like the turtle in that we have many built in ways to protect ourselves—our instinct to survive and to shelter ourselves from danger. Like the turtle, our greatest accomplishments do not come from skill alone, but require our persistence and determination. And like the turtle, often we accomplish nothing until we stick out our necks once in a while and dare to take a little risk.
MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THAT ONE
– A young man was walking down a beach beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see old man in the distance. As he walked nearer, he noticed that the old man kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean. As the young man approached even closer, he noticed that the old man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.
– The young man was puzzled. He approached the old man and said, “Good evening, sir. I was wondering what you are doing.”
– “I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”
– “I understand,” the young man replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possibly make a difference?”
– The old man smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, “Made a difference to that one!”
— Whatever effort we make serve and assist, no matter how seemingly insignificant, can be meaningful, well-appreciated and worth providing.
The MORE YOU PUT IN
– The chaplain and his young son were camping just outside a small seaside town. Not far away was a tiny church that had no minister, so the chaplain offered his services for the Sunday. No fee was payable. As the chaplain and his son were passing out of the door after the service, the son noticed a small box which had on it the words “For Contributions”.
– “Father, don’t you think you should put something in the box?” the son asked.
– “Certainly,” the chaplain said. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a dollar, and put it into the box. The two had gone a little way back to the camp when a man came running after them.
– “It’s our custom to give the minister whatever is dropped into the box,” he said when he caught up with them. “I found this dollar and here it is.” He handed back the money the chaplain had donated.
– After the man had left, the boy looked up at his dad. “Father,” he said, “if you had only put more into the box, you would have got so much more out.”
— Isn’t that true about everything – Scouting, living? The more we put in, the more we will get out.
The NEW SCOUT
– There was a new boy who moved into town just after his 11th birthday. For a long time he had dreamed about becoming a Scout. He was a bit timid and didn’t push himself into things, but usually waited for an invitation.
– Well, one night this new boy came down to visit our troop meeting. He looked in through the window and saw doing things and heard our voices. But, he couldn’t quite force himself to come down those steps. It wasn’t so very long ago that maybe you might have been in the new boy’s place. Maybe you were inclined to be timid, too.
– He waited around awhile and went home, without getting his nerve up to actually come in. He was pretty miserable about his failure, and he came back a week later. Again, he waited outside the door, but just couldn’t force himself to come in uninvited. Finally he saw a Scout coming down the street, heading for the meeting. That Scout was you!
— Now, that’s all of the story I’m going to tell. What happened? Did you just brush by him, or did you invite him to come in?
NO BURDON TO CARRY
– There is an old story of the missionary who was traveling through the Himalayas with a guide in the bitter cold. Night was coming and the guide said, “If we don’t reach the shelter by nightfall, we are in danger of freezing to death.” Just as they came to a narrow path, they heard the cries of a man who had fallen over the edge. The guide said, “Do not stop. God has brought him to his fate. He must work it out himself.”
– The missionary replied, “God sent me here to help my brother. I cannot abandon him.” The guide went on and the missionary climbed down a steep path. When he found the man, he saw that his leg was broken and he could not walk. The missionary made a sling from his blanket and tied the man to his back. He then began a body torturing climb. He made his way through the deepening snow. It was dark and it was all he could do to follow the path. He persevered, and faint with exhaustion, he finally saw the lights of the shelter. As he moved toward the light, he stumbled for the first time and nearly fell. He did not stumble from exhaustion, but over an object. As he brushed the snow off the object, he looked down and saw that it was the body of the guide.
– Years later when a student asked him, “What is life’s most difficult task?” He replied, “To have no burden to carry.”
— Opportunities to be of service are not burdens. On the contrary, they should be welcomed. They add appreciable purpose to our lives.
OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES
– Once upon a time, there was a kingdom ruled by a thoughtful king. Through this kingdom, there was a road with a big rock, right in the middle.
– One of the king’s embassadors returning from a trip complained about how the kingdom was going to pot and rode his horse around the rock. A rich merchant came by and complained about the delay as his driver slowly edged around the rock and hurried on. A countess in her carriage whined that the king should take better care of the road system. Many other people came by and went around the rock throughout the day.
– Then, a poor peasant came by carrying a large load of vegetables he hoped to sell in the market. When he approached the rock, he set down his burden. He pushed and pulled at the rock until he finally got it moved to the side of the road. Where the rock had been was a leather purse. The peasant opened it and saw many gold coins and a note. The note read, “These coins are a reward for your efforts to improve our kingdom. Signed, the King”
— Taking time to fix a problem is better than just complaining about the problem.
OUR TROOP IS LIKE A BICYCLE
– Have you ever thought about how a bicycle works? Most of us just hop on and let it take us where we want to go without giving it a second thought. A closer look shows it takes a lot of different pieces doing their part and working together to make transportation happen.
– When you push the pedal with your foot, a lot happens to make the wheels turn. The pedal turns a crank that turns a gear, which pulls a chain that turns another gear, which turns a hub, which pulls the spokes, which turns the wheel, which pulls the tire that pushes against the road to make the bike go.
– When you want to stop, you pull a lever that pulls a cable against a housing, which causes another lever to move, which pushes a pad against the wheel. Changing gears involves levers, cables, housing, springs, and pulleys working together.
– If any one part fails to work when it is supposed to, the whole system fails to work. At best, if it still can be ridden, it doesn’t operate in top form.
— In our troop, we are the parts, just like on the bicycle. Our patrols are like the pedaling, braking, and gear-changing systems. The senior patrol leader is like the rider. He directs a pedal or a lever (your patrol leaders) to do their part, and they in turn ask their patrol members to do theirs. If we choose not to do our part, our patrols suffer and our troop doesn’t work well. The troop is our vehicle to adventure, fellowship, and good times. And each of us is a very important part.
The PARABLE OF THE MULE
– A mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule “praying”—or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
– Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he could shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow.
– “Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up!” He repeated it to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!
– It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemingly would bury him actually helped him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity!
— That’s life! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self pity, the problems that come along to bury us usually have within them the very potential to benefit us.
PERSISTENCE
– I’d like to share a quote from Calvin Coolidge, who was our thirtieth president, serving from 1923 to 1929. He was known as a man of few words. One of his nicknames was “Silent Cal,” but here’s one thing he said that I really like, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not—nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not—unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not—the world is full of educated derelicts. What is powerful is persistence and determination. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
— John Thurman, a great Scouter from England remarked, “Determination remains the enduring answer to most problems.”
PUT YOUR SKILLS TO USE
– A flock of turkeys had a training meeting. All the turkeys went, and there, the head turkey taught them how to fly. At first they were taught how to make short flights off the fence to the ground. This was certainly new to them, and it was a lot of fun. Then they’d glide from the top of the shed. Wow! That was exciting! Eventually, they learned how to take off from a running start, glide and flap, and slowly lift. They learned how to catch thermal wind currents, soar up and fly high into the sky! They even learned how to perform some fancy acrobatics.
– They could look down and see the whole farm in great detail. They could see what was on the other side of hills and woods that had previously blocked their view. They could see vast horizons that they had never known. It was a wonderful and exciting and exhilarating experience. After the meeting, all the turkeys walked home.
— Moral of the story? We should put to practice the skills that we learn.
A QUIET HERO
– Think of your favorite and most famous professional sports figure. I bet the last time he played, with all his athletic ability, his performance was impressive. I’m sure he gets lots of publicity, and makes lots of money, too. What a star star! And for many who root for his team, he’s probably quite a hero.
– Well, at the risk of offending some of you, I don’t think that’s such a big deal. A while ago, on a special outing, I met another kind of hero. He was a very small, 12-year-old Scout who was very homesick. Some of you might simply think of him as a little wimp who can’t stand to leave his mommy. But, actually, that’s pretty insensitive thing to think about a kid whose feelings are tearing him up to the point of crying in front of his friends, who probably hates himself for being weak and feeling homesick.
– To make things worse we were at the base camp for a canoe trip on a rain-swollen river, and more than one boy and adult were having second thoughts. The homesick Scout came to me as we were loading the canoes and said, “I don’t think I want to do this. I think I want to go home.”
– When he had made similar comments the night before, the other Scouts had joked and tried to distract him. But, there comes a time when a boy has to either go forward or back. We walked away from the others and I put my hand on his shoulder. I said, “In five minutes, we’ll be leaving. You can be in the canoe with us or you can be in the truck going back.” Then I walked away and left him to his thoughts.
– He came with us on the trip. A couple of his buddies gave him a friendly punch on his shoulder, but nobody cheered. Now, those big-time professional athletes, I guess they’re okay. And though this young Scout’s accomplishment wasn’t printed in the papers or discussed on talk shows, to me, he’s a special kind of hero. The quiet kind.
— Each of us as individuals face our own kind of unique challenges with obstacles that are difficult to overcome. Facing our individual challenges might not seem like a big thing to others, but doing so bravely, in its own right, is really a valuable and worthwhile accomplishment.
The REAL MEASURE OF WEALTH
– People often measure how wealthy a person is by how much money he has. The notion is, the more money you have, the happier you are. Is this really true? If it was, why are there so many unhappy people who have lots of money? If you ever saw the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there’s a bitter, crabby, old, sourpuss of a man who has lots of money, and then there’s the main character who is a hard-working, giving guy with lots of friends, but who doesn’t have a lot of money. At the end of the movie, he’s dubbed the richest man in Bedford Falls.
– Along the same lines, a friend of mine related how he was driving on an open stretch of road early one morning and he was passed by a person in a BMW wearing an expensive-looking suit. He caught a glimpse of the man’s face. It was all tight and drawn. The man really looked stressed out.
– A minute later, my friend passed an old guy with a straw hat in a beat-up truck with some vegetables in the back. He had a little smile on his face.
– What a remarkable contrast. Who was happier? Who was richer? Wealth can also be measured by how much you’ve served others, how many times you’ve given a helping hand, how much gladness you’ve contributed to other people’s lives, and of course, how much love you’ve given and received.
— The real measure of wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money.
SCOUT SALUTE AND HANDSHAKE
– Our Scout salute and handshake are ancient signs of bravery and respect. Back in the days when George Washington was general of the Continental Army, men carried weapons for their protection. When they met one another there was an uneasy moment as each watched the other’s right hand. If it went toward his sword or gun, there was a battle, but if it went to his hat it was a salute of friendship or respect.
– The left-handed shake comes to us from the Ashanti warriors whom Baden-Powell knew over a hundred years ago in South Africa. He saluted them with his right hand, but the Ashanti chieftains offered their left hands and said, “In our land only the bravest of the brave shake hands with the left hand, because to do so we must drop our shields and protection.” The Ashanti knew of General Baden-Powell’s bravery, for they had fought both against him and with him, and they were proud to offer him the left-handed shake of bravery and respect.
— That’s the origin of the hand salute and the origin of the Scout handshake.
The STATION
– Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. Maybe we see ourselves on a long trip spanning a great distance. Maybe we’re traveling by train. Through the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, city skylines and village halls, children waving at a crossing, cattle grazing on a distant hillside, smoke pouring out of a power plant, row upon row of corn and wheat, expanses of flatland giving way to rolling hillsides, mountains, and valleys.
– But, uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into “the station.” Bands will play and flags will be wave. Once we get there, many wonderful things will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. While on the train, we restlessly pace the aisles, impatiently waiting—waiting for the station.
– “When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 18!” “When I can buy a new car!” “When I’ve put my last kid through college!” “When I’ve paid off the mortgage!” “When I reach the age of retirement! Finally, I’ll live happily ever after!”
– Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no specific place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. Reaching some imaginary station is just an illusion. It constantly outdistances us.
— “Relish the moment!” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb the mountains, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Stop and smell the roses.
THANKSGIVING AND THE SCOUT SLOGAN
– At Thanksgiving we always think of everything we are thankful for, things like friends, family, freedom, food, and fun we can have.
– Another part of Thanksgiving is the giving part. We can be thankful for our ability to give. Not everyone can give money, but everyone can give time. You can give by doing a Good Turn every day. To do a Good Turn, you don’t expect to be rewarded or paid. Maybe you can help shovel a neighbor’s sidewalk, offer to get groceries for an elderly person, or just do a favor for someone. It can be as simple as holding a door for a person. Whatever kind of Good Turn you do, don’t take more than a thank you for doing it.
— Now is a good time for us to begin being good Scouts and follow the Scout slogan, “Do a Good Turn Daily.”
THIS WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER
– If you sometimes get discouraged, consider this fellow: He dropped out of grade school, ran a country store, went broke, spent fifteen years paying off his bills, married, became unhappy in his marriage, ran for the House of Representatives and lost twice, ran for the Senate and lost twice, delivered a speech that initially left his audience indifferent, was attacked daily by the press, and despised by half the country.
– Despite all this, imagine how many people all over the world have been inspired by this awkward, rumpled, brooding man who signed his name simply: A. Lincoln.
— Don’t get discouraged when things don’t always go your way. Like Abraham Lincoln, carry on, follow your heart, and continue to do what you truly think is best.
THREE BRICK MASONS
– Three brothers were all equally skilled at a craft taught to them by their father, that of a brick and stone mason. The work was hard, as it required lifting heavy bricks and cement, and they were exposed to the elements of severe weather on a daily basis. However, each viewed their work very differently.
– When asked what he was doing, the first brother said, “I’m making a living so I can pay my bills.” When asked the same question, the second brother replied, “Can’t you see? I’m laying bricks.” But the third brother, working next to the other brothers, replied, “I’m building something that will be used and appreciated by people for years and years to come.”
— As we go about our daily tasks, we shouldn’t lose sight of what we’re really doing with our life. We should give ourself a higher vision and see things as they effect more than just us.
The TRAVELER AND THE TRACKER
– Once a Traveler and a Tracker set out to explore the world together. As they wound their way through the wilderness, the Traveler was amazed at the Tracker’s habit of pausing several times a day to pray. “Why do you pray to something intangible?” the Traveler asked. “How do you know that God exists?”
– Now the Tracker was very skilled in noticing things and, through the years, had gained much insight reading the smallest signs. And he answered the Traveler this way, “I know God exists when I see the leaves turning yellow. I know God exists when a trout jumps at a fly, and when grass waves in the dry wind. I know God exists when clouds shade my head and the stars wink at night.” “So you see,” said the Tracker, “I know God exists, for I can see his footprints throughout the Universe.”
— God, the Great Spirit, is everywhere present. We just have to open our eyes to glimpse the constant wonders of his creation.
TRICK OR TREAT
– A young university student was walking along with one of his professors when they came across a pair of shoes that belonged to a very poor, old man working in a field nearby. Our young friend suggested hiding the old man’s shoes, but the professor objected. “We must never amuse ourselves at the expense of others,” he said. “Why not put a dollar in each shoe and see what he will do?”
– Together they did this, then hid themselves behind a bush. Soon the old man returned for his shoes. He put one foot into a shoe, then quickly removed it to see what was causing the discomfort. Finding the dollar, he examined it closely, then looked about to see who might have put it in his shoe. There was no one around, so he started to put on his other shoe and, to his amazement, found a dollar in it, too. Overwhelmed, he looked up toward Heaven and thanked God aloud for this unexpected gift.
– The student was deeply moved by what he had witnessed. “Now,” said the professor, “is not the treat better than the trick?”
— Doing for others carries with it its own reward. Real happiness lies in making others happy.
TRIM YOUR SAIL
– Small-Boat Sailing is an interesting merit badge. When you take this merit badge, you learn how to tack. In a sailboat, you can’t get upwind by steering straight into the wind. You have to move into it at an angle, with the mainsail close-hauled, and the centerboard down. By putting together a series of tacks, which looks like a big zigzag pattern as you go through the water, you can actually get yourself upwind of your starting point.
– Sailors have a saying for this: They’ll tell you to “trim your sail so as to gain an advantage, even in an adverse wind.” A good sailor knows how to take the very wind that is trying to blow him backward from his intended course, and use it instead to move his boat forward. His forward progress might not be fast with all those tacks, but it’s steady.
— There’ll be times in our life when we’ll encounter an “adverse wind.” Everything seems to be moving against our intended course. Well, maybe we can’t steer straight into the opposing “wind,” but by trying a different “tack,” we can find a way to move forward. That’s one of the secrets of success in Small-Boat Sailing, and it works in real life, too.
TWO LITTLE WORDS
– What do you suppose is the most valuable two word sentence you can say? Some of you might say, it’s “We won!” Others would vote for, “Here’s money!” Well, a really valuable two-word sentence is, “Thank you.” It isn’t used as often as it should be. How often do we use it? And how often do we say thank you even to the persons who are closest to us, like our mother and father? How often do we say it to our friends or even strangers when they do something for us?
– It’s so easy to forget, especially if the Good Turn is done by somebody in our family. Too often we take for granted the many things our parents and other family members do for us.
– Here’s a challenge for us. Between now and next troop meeting, see if we can find some reason to say thank you every day to some member of our family. We may be surprised how they will react. A simple thank you costs nothing, but it means so much to those who matter most to us.
— Good manners can be the difference between being just another Scout, and a Scout who shines really brightly in the eyes of those around him.
UNSAYING MY WORDS
– Once there were two Indian boys that were very good friends. They explored, fished, and hunted together. They were both great athletes and well-liked by all in their tribe.
– In their village, there was also a young girl that they both began to like and compete for. One of the boys, out of jealousy, told the girl that the other boy had done something very bad which would disgrace him and his family. This was completely untrue. Afterwards, the boy felt ashamed of what he had done. He told the girl that he had lied and he apologized to his friend for what he had said. But, as he walked around the village, he could hear others repeating the false words he had spoken about his friend.
– Very troubled by this, he went to the tribal medicine man for advice. “How can I undo this terrible thing I have done?” he asked.
– The wise man told him, “Shoot three ducks and three geese. Pull off all their feathers and put the feathers in a leather bag. Bring me the bag and the birds.”
– The boy did this. He gave the birds to the wise man and the wise man said, “Now, take the bag of feathers to the top of the great mountain, open it, and shake out all the feathers. Then, return here.”
– The boy climbed the mountain, released all the feathers into the wind, and returned to the wise man. The wise man said, “Now, go back up the mountain and pick up every single feather you released and put them back in your bag.”
– The boy replied, “But, that is not possible. The feathers have blown far away. I can never recover all of them.” The wise man said, “So it is with your words.”
— Think about the impact of your words before you say them. It’s very difficult to take back something you’ve said.
WALKING THE RAILS
– Have you ever tried walking the rails? As a youngster growing up, I had to walk about a mile to school. The railroad track ran past both my house and the school. It was the shortest and quickest route. I can remember many times while walking to and from school that I would try to walk the rails, seeing how far I could go without falling off. I usually didn’t get too far before a foot would slip and I would be off the rail and on the crosstie.
– I read once of a group of Scouts who happened upon some abandoned railroad track. Each Scout took his turn trying to walk the entire length of a track without falling off. None of the boys was able to go the entire length without falling off.
– Two of the boys got their heads together, and after some discussion came running to the group, smiling from ear to ear. They told the group that they were willing to bet that they could walk the entire length of a track without falling off. The others in the group thought it was a good bet, because they had already seen each of the boys fail in the attempt to accomplish the feat. So the bet was accepted and the two boys moved toward the track.
– Each of the boys got on one rail and began their walk, side by side walking down the track. Soon one of them became a little shaky, so the boys stopped. They then did something none of the other boys had thought of. They reached out and joined hands! After joining hands, they were able to walk the entire length of the track without falling off. Joining hands and supporting each other, they were able to accomplish what neither of them could accomplish alone.
– When we help another, we help ourselves. When we lend a helping hand, we receive one in return. Neither of the boys could walk the length of that track separately. But, by joining hands, the task was made relatively easy.
— There are many rails in life that have to be walked. Some of them are very difficult to master by ourselves. But if we are willing to extend a hand and receive a hand, we will find that walking the rails of life is much easier to accomplish.
WHOSE JOB IS IT?
– This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody:
– There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.
– Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
– Anybody could have done it. But Nobody did it.
– Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job.
– Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
– It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
— Yes, this sounds crazy, and it is. We benefit by being a part of the group. When there’s a job to be done, for the good of the group, we should go do it, and for the good of the group, get it done!
WHEN THE NIGHT ENDS
– A wise teacher asked his students, “How can we determine the hour of dawn—when the night ends and the day begins?”
– “When, from a distance, you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?” one of his students suggested.
– “No,” the teacher answered.
– “Is it when you can distinguish between an oak tree and a hickory tree?” another student asked.
– “No,” he replied.
– “Please tell us the answer, then,” said the students.
— “It is when you can look into the face of a human being and have enough light to recognize in him your brother,” the wise teacher replied. “Until then, it is night, and the darkness is still with us.”
WISDOM
– Walt Disney was a prominent figure within the American animation industry and throughout the world, and is regarded as a cultural icon, known for his influence and contributions to entertainment during the 20th century. As a Hollywood business mogul, he founded The Walt Disney Company and gave his name to the Disney Land and Disney World theme parks along with four other theme parks throughout the world.
– He was once asked what a person would need to do to be like him. Disney named four steps:
1. Think! Think about the values and principles that guide you in your business and personal life.
2. Believe! Believe in yourself.
3. Dream! Dream of something you want to do.
4. Dare! Dare to make your dream a reality.
WORKING HARD
– A new postal clerk felt privileged to land his job with the civil service. So, without a second thought, he cheerfully sorted the mail as quickly and efficiently as he could. When at a conveyer belt, he hustled from one end to the other, and was happy to keep his pace up throughout his shift.
– Other workers, who had been on the job for years, resented his work pace. They didn’t want anyone working faster than they worked; it might attract negative attention to them from the foreman. The new postal worker wasn’t expecting anything when, after just a short time as a clerk, he was approached by one of the foreman who remarked, if you keep doing such a good job, you’re going to be considered for a promotion as a manager.
— The slow worker is frequently the first to be laid off, while the conscientious worker is usually the first to be considered for a higher position. Two thirds of the word “promotion” is “motion”.
WORKING WITH EACH OTHER’S DIFFERENCES
– Everyone please stand up and cross your arms over your chest. Which arm is on top? Right or left?
– Recross your arms so the other one is on top. How does that feel? Which way is correct? (Wait for responses.)
– Neither way is right or wrong, just different. In many ways, all of us are different.
— If we can work with each other’s differences, then we can make a positive difference in the world.
SCOUT PIONEERING 