Williamsburg in Summer

Williamsburg in Summer

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Look who is a Girl Scout!

So I turned 40 this month.  What did I do?  I joined the Girl Scouts?  Can't think of a clearer way to symbolize a mid-life crisis.  As part of my commitment, apparently I have made a pledge:

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.
 


In all seriousness...I did join the Girl Scouts of America, but only because Kate joined the Girl Scouts, and I had to be a member to volunteer for her troop. She is officially a Daisy this year.  We have never been a Boy Scout or Girl Scout family.  Well, I take that back.  I vaguely remember my brothers doing scouts for awhile.   I remember my best friend, Michelle, was a Brownie, but I never sold cookies or camped or earned badges when I was little.  I don't think it was never given to me as an option.  And although Josh is ALWAYS prepared, he never joined the Scouts either.

Last year Kate was in kindergarten, and we got a flyer to sign up.  We were new to the area, and I had no real sense of a schedule or agenda for the year. I just put the information in the huge "to look at later" pile that resides on the side of my desk.  Then sometime in October when later equated with missed the deadline to join, I tossed the flyer in the recycle bin.   I didn't give it much thought until all the other girls in the neighborhood were going off to Daisy meetings.  And I wondered if I had missed an opportunity for Kate.

All the kindergarten girls in our neighborhood were lucky enough to all be in the same class at school.  Living in walking distance to one another and being in the same class was a great way to get introduced to the wonderful community we now live in.  By the end of the school year, Kate was starting to make some good friends, and she was beginning to feel like this was home now.  With first grade came the introduction of many classrooms; some friends remained her in class but others were spread out down the hallway.  Daisies seemed like a good chance to keep Kate connected to the girls' who were in different classes this year and continue to make new friendships.  And I am all for any organization that encourages my daughter to serve others and be helpful and kind. 

I think Kate is going to love being a part of this troop.  We have a Mother-Daughter Tea coming up in the fall, and I am sure Kate will dress as if she was going to the Queen's corrination.  And there are at least two camping outings planned.  Kate has been begging to go to camping for well over a year now so she will be beside herself with excitement when I tell her the plans.

As for me...I get to be fall product sales coordinator.  And I get to meet a lot of wonderful moms who are in my neighborhood and have girls Kate's age.  I think I may be blessed by this venture as much as Kate will be.  It's good to be connected to community again. 

But if I think about it long enough, I still find myself giggling at the thought of being a Girl Scout.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Remembering 9-11

Today, my 7 year old daughter went to a flag raising ceremony for an event that she knew nothing about.  She wasn't alive the day the twin towers crashed into the core of America's heart.  She doesn't remember the fear that gripped the nation nor the tears that we shed for weeks.  She doesn't feel the ache that still lingers after so many, many years.

In some ways I envy her not knowing.  She has an innocence that most of America lost 13 years ago.   She had that innocence until today. 

Today I told her.  I told her about 9-11.  I told her about the many lives that were lost.  I told her about the pain our country felt.  I told her why it is important that we remember.  There are still many details I will wait to tell her, but the important part is she knows.  She now knows that being an American means being united with people that loss something great.  She knows that our country is worth fighting for.  She now understands a bit more why sometimes people have to go to war to protect what they believe in.  She learned a little more about what it means to have pride in America. I hope the flag will mean a little more after today.  I told her so we all can remember.

Ironically, I found a poem today that my mom wrote on the 1st anniversary of 9-11.  It is twelve years since she wrote the poem, but it spoke to me as if it had been written today.  I am trusting she won't mind me sharing it here. 

In remembrance...  by Donna Gallagher

The wind is restless today...
Not violent...not gentle...just restless
Stirring grass, trees and leaves
Stirring memories as we grieve

New York, PA, DC
Flags and Tears flow free
Memories etched in souls
Ashes now grown cold

Remember-we must do
Honor those we knew
Salute the men of blue
Stand strong - resolve anew

Our President declared
We'll fight and will not fear
Each name, each story lost
With resolve we'll count the cost

Today, the anniversary,
Infamous day in history
Neither wind nor the lot we see
But we feel their presence in every breeze

The wind is restless today...
Stirring every soul
Souls standing on blood soaked ground
And those set free and heaven bound

The wind is restless today...
Brushing cheeks of streaming tears
Shaking off remaining fears

The wind carries a gentle embrace
To all who remember a missing face
Let it blow, let it stir within all who feel
Let it descend with hope, let it heal

September 11, 2002