"On My Honor, I Will Try..."

I'm sure it wouldn't have ANYTHING  to do with the fact that I've consumed a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints this month that got me to thinking back to my scouting days.  Yes, I was a Girl Scout...but I'm getting ahead of myself here - first, I was a Brownie.

St Ann's, the grade school of my early years, had some terrific scout leaders.  I remember the patience and attention of Mrs McCool and Mrs Fruttoso, trying to ride herd on a group of young, rambunctious girls.  After school, on Mondays, we'd descend to the cafeteria for our meetings.  They always opened up with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Brownie/Girl Scout pledge.

On my honor, I will try:
To do my duty
To God and my country,
To help other people at all times,
And to obey the Girl Scout Law.

We then would hear about scouting business, pay our dues, begin our craft project and then enjoy a treat.  In addition to the lessons learned about patriotism, self esteem, commerce (had to sell those cookies!) and team work, the giggling, camaraderie, and the treats prepared me, I think, for the great relationships I have with my treasured women friends. (We still giggle and eat...)

After a few years as a Brownie, it was time for us to "fly up".  Not sure why that term was used but it meant we were advancing to the big leagues - The Girl Scouts!  I was always partial to the light brown color of the Brownie uniform, but I was ready to don the green of the Big Girls.  And although it was still fun, life as a Girl Scout got a bit more serious.  We had to "work" on getting "merit badges" - that reward that came after you performed certain tasks in a specific field. "Homemaking" is the only one that stands out in my memory (go figure!) but I'm sure there were a few more I earned.  I DO know that my sisters' sashes had more badges, but hey, they stuck it out longer....and probably worked harder at it.

I'm not sure why my time as a Girl Scout came to an end.  Maybe because we moved to a new school.  Maybe  my propensity to quit things reared its ugly head again (I've told you before about my short attention span).  Maybe it was when my Mom wanted me to sew the badges on my sash myself - and glue guns weren't invented yet.   I can't remember.  But I do know that scouting - then and now - is a great organization - and that the lessons I learned, as a young girl, were invaluable ones.

Now, where's that last box of Thin Mints?

P.S.  And thanks to my old(er) sister for her help in remembering the Girl Scout pledge... You didn't think I, with the short attention span, could recall that, now, did ya?