|
|
Scoutmaster's
Minute
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 2012 - ROAD TEST YOURSELF
Are you like a new car model that never was tested? Are you cheerful when the going is easy but a grumbler and griper when there is trouble? Are you like a shiny new car that falls to pieces when it gets a tough road test? In a way, Scouting is like a road test. We challenge ourselves with backpacking trips and other adventures to see whether or not we can take it. As Scouts we like to find out what our limits are, and if we find weak spots, we try to correct them. That way, we'll be ready for life's bumps and potholes. Then people will say of us, "Those guys can take it".
Rich
Martino
January 2012 - New Year's Resolutions Well, Scouts, have you made any New Year's resolutions? I hope some of you resolved to bring up your grades in school and be more helpful around the house. I'm sure your parents would be delighted with those resolutions. In Scouting, we make a resolution almost every time we meet. Each time we repeat the Scout Oath or Law, we're resolving to do our best to do our duty and to make ourselves the best citizens we can be. I'm inclined to think that resolving to follow the Scout Oath and Law are the most important resolutions you can make - now and in the time to come. The Oath and Law cover almost everything that makes a good man and a good citizen. December 2011 - Afraid and Brave Who is more brave - the Tenderfoot that walks to the latrine on a campout at 2am or the Life Scout that rescues a drowning little 6 year old girl? Whether that is saving someone in danger, sticking up for a new kid at school, or telling someone about your beliefs - there are many situations where you can be brave or cowardly. You find out a lot about who you really are when you find yourself in those situations.
November 2011 - Confidence Confidence If you think you're beaten, you are,
October 2011 - Judgement "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."
September 2011 - BELIEVE
Whether you believe you can do something...
August 2011 - The Two Wolves An old Cherokee grandfather called all his grandchildren together one day. For many years he had been a proud warrior and a chief among his people. He had lived a full life and had gained some wisdom in his days. He wanted to impart some of this wisdom to the children of his children, and their children. “The other wolf is fighting for everything that is good and godly. He fights for compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, beauty, truth, and equity.”
June 2011 - Happy for a Lifetime
May 2011 - The Big Ego
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 constant boasting about how far he could
jump, how loud he could croak, and how many flies he could eat. These days,
they just tried to stay out of his way.
April 2011 - THE STARFISH Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the
day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw
that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead
he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently
throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out,
"Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that
there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't
possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely. Then bent
down picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the
breaking waves and said,
"It made a difference for that one."
March 2010 - The Eagle and the Chickens 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 chickens nest. When the egg finally hatched the little eagle thought he was a prairie chicken. Prairie chickens don’t fly very far and they stay on the ground and they eat only worms and grubs. So as the eagle grew up he ate nothing but worms and grubs. 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 their 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." So the eagle spent the rest of his life flying very little and eating worms and grubs just because some prairie chicken told him he had to. The moral of the story is that if really want to do or become something in your life listen to your heart and try don't just listen to the prairie chickens. February 2010 - Choose a Door Imagine a man walking down a corridor. At intervals along the floor of the corridor are keys. The man stops to pick some up keys and leaves others. Maybe he cannot hold all of the keys. Perhaps he is lazy and does not choose to pick up a particular key. He comes to a large room with many doors. Each door can be unlocked with a key. A few doors are already open. The man looks at the doors and reads the signs on them. Some of the doors are very attractive. Some hold no interest for him. Unfortunately, a few of the very attractive doors require keys that he did not pick up, and he cannot open the doors. The keys are opportunities. The corridor is your life. The room is a cusp (where you have to make a choice) in your life. The doors are goals or rewards. If you do not grab the opportunities as you travel through life, you will not be able to unlock the door to your goal or reward. Get good grades NOW!! so that doors remain open for you for scholarships, or even college. Advance NOW!! So that you can finish your Eagle requirements before life throws roadblocks in your path. Exercise NOW!! So that you will have a better opportunity to make the team next season. Pick up the keys NOW!! So that you can open the doors when you want to or have to make a choice.
January 2010 -
The Knot That Tells A Story Scouts,
if your
rank is between Second Class and Life, take a look at your badge of
rank. What
do all those badges have in common? That's
right,
they all have the "Be Prepared" scroll with a knot dangling from it.
. Does anyone remember what the knot is supposed to remind us of? Right
again.
It's a reminder to do a Good Turn every day. If the knot could talk, it
would
tell us of billions of Good Turns stretching back almost 100 years. Are
you
adding a chapter to that story each day? Our
troop often
does big Good Turns for our chartered organization or the community.
But does
that mean that you can forget about Good Turns the rest of the time? Of
course
not. As Scouts you have pledged to do a Good Turn daily. Obviously that
doesn't
mean you have to spend several hours on some major project. But
it does
mean that at home, in school, and when you're with friends you will go
out of
your way to do a simple kindness - take out the garbage without being
asked,
help a buddy with his homework, or run an errand for your mother
without
grumbling. Those
little
Good Turns make life more pleasant for other people. They also add
another link
in that long string of Good Turns going back to Scouting's beginnings.
November 2009 - Thanksgiving As Americans, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We live in freedom, most of us have an abundance of food and clothing, and we all have adequate shelter. We are as blessed as any people in the world, but sometimes we forget that and gripe that we don't have even more. Let's remember that a lot of the world’s population goes to bed hungry in homes that few Americans would want to live in. So it's good to remind ourselves occasionally that we are lucky and thank God for our blessings. That's what Thanksgiving really is, a time to give thanks. The Pilgrims started it more than 100 years ago when they gathered to thank God for a bountiful harvest. Today Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings around a groaning table followed by watching football games. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's important that we don't forget the real meaning of Thanksgiving. So when you sit down with your family for Thanksgiving dinner, take time to count your blessings and thank God for them.
October 2009 - Failure teaches Success Failure is not a comfortable
feeling and more often than not we have it in our lives. But if we can
use it to measure what it takes to be successful then failing becomes a
tool we can learn from. If we take the time to look at our failures it
will teach us what we have to do to be successful. It forces us to self
analyze who am I and what I did. Winning is an easy pill to take. Often
swallowed rapidly, cherished and we move on. We must use failure as a
teaching tool. If we don't take the time to learn from our failures
then we have really failed at becoming successful and have gained
nothing by failing. So failing teaches us how to be successful.
Past Entries September 2009 - Boy Scouts are like teabags Boy Scouts are like teabags. You don't know how strong they are until they get in hot water. Our monthly Boys Life Magazines feature stories of brother Scouts being first on the scene at serious accidents or other emergency situations that put their Scout skills to the test! Do your ever ask yourself how would you do in similar circumstances? Acts of heroism are not always a matter of being fearless - more often it's just the opposite, doing what is right in spite of being afraid. Being a Scout, by which I mean living by the Scout Oath and Law, the Slogan and the Motto, more often means doing things that are not "cool" or easy in less news-worthy - but no less heroic - ways, than in Boys Life stories: facing down peer pressure, seeking-out ways to help people, being courteous even to the non-courteous, etc. So raise your right hand in the Scout sign and pledge, on your honor, to try your best to make a good cup of tea! August 2009 -
Setting the Example It seems to me that when it comes to setting the
example, we are all leaders. Even if you're not a patrol leader, the
way you conduct yourself will rub off on your patrol mates. If one
patrol member goofs off and is sloppy in his habits, there's a
temptation to say, "Well, Brian gets away with it, why shouldn't I?"
July 2009 - Be In Uniform Scouts, what would you think of a policeman in full
uniform except for trousers which were of bright plaid material? How
about a hospital intern wearing a sport coat over is white uniform
while on duty? Or what would you think of a train conductor wearing a
fireman's cap or, even more absurd, an airline pilot wearing the silks
of a jockey as he boarded the plane?
May 2009 - That
First Step There's
a lesson for us in that saying.
April 2009 - Caring for Tools Tools are essential in making repairs around the house
and in doing the kind of community Good Turn we're planning this month.
You couldn't do the job without them.
March 2009 - On The Trail Once a long time ago a hound was out with his owner
trailing a mountain lion. The hound came to a place where a fox had
crossed the trail, and the hound decided to follow the fox instead of
the lion. A short time later, a rabbit crossed that of the fox, and
again the hound changed direction. Why should he chase a fox when a
rabbit might be easier to catch? When the hunter finally caught up with
his hound, the dog was barking at a small hole in the ground. The hound
had brought to bay a field mouse instead of a mountain lion.
February 2009 -
How To Catch A Monkey Anybody know how to catch a monkey? Well, I can tell you how they do it in India. They take a gourd, cut a small hole in it, and then put some rice inside. Then they tie the gourds down securely and wait for the monkey. Monkeys are greedy and selfish. I guess you could say anybody who is greedy and selfish is a monkey. Anyway, monkeys are so greedy and selfish that they fall for the gourd trick every time. The monkey sticks his paw into the gourd to get the
rice. He grabs a handful - but then he can't get his hand out of the
gourd. His fist won’t go through the small hole. And he's so greedy and
selfish that he won't let go of the handful of rice. He just waits
there with his greedy fist wrapped around the rice until the men come
and take him. Don't be greedy and selfish or you may make a "monkey" of yourself.
January 2009 - Happy New Year! Well, Scouts, did you make any New Year's resolutions?
Do
you have a comment or a suggestion? |
.png)
