The Neerings Chronicles

I've never been a girl scout. I hardly even heard about it as a kid. And as I got older I thought to myself that I didn't need Girl Scouts because in our church we pretty much covered everything in our Young Women's organization that the Girl Scouts covered. We had girls camp every year where we passed off all kinds of survival skills and spiritual enlightening exercises. We set goals in 7 "values": faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. Those pretty much cover everything in life if you think about it. So I never needed girl scouts! And as a mother, I continued in my belief that my daughter doesn't need to be a girl scout - she has Young Womens at church!

Well guess what? I am finally a girl scout! It's true. I have a new job for those of you who didn't know. I work for the Girl Scouts of Hawai'i. And in being hired by the girl scouts, I actually had to become a member. And now I'm forced to admit, that girl scouts is a fantastic program for girls. (not forced like it's in my contract to state this, but forced by my own realization!) And any girl that becomes a girl scout will be a better person for it! The more I learn about girl scouts and all they stand for, I'm more impressed. And I'm saddened when I think of what I missed out on. And what my daughter has missed out on.

Here's the Girl Scout promise and law respectively:

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong and
responsible for what I say and do
and to,
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Now don't you feel inspired to be a better person just from reading that?

I do!