Sample 3
Creed for a Tree
Each of the following messages is designed to be placed at the foot different natural object (preferrably a tree), and read when discovered (as during a "night eyes" exercise). Also, the entire set of messages can be used, or one or more messages used separately, as part of any ceremony.
I am a Sign [Scout Sign]
I am a sign of allegiance, a signal of respect. I am made with the right hand, the arm of authority. By my sign, girls and adults declare to "do their best". I signal to strive for reverence, patriotism, goodwill, and self-respect. I am an open pledge pointing to the sky and facing many in the presence of others. I am held by those who are thoughtful, attentive, and confident that girls and adults will accomplish together what they cannot do alone. I am a deep wish inside a girl who thinks of her duty; I am the conviction of a leader who knows how challenging her duty is, Together, they form a partnership to live what can be done together, with the help of the Almighty.
I am a Handclasp [Scout Handshake]
I am a handclasp. In a world of barriers and no-man's lands, I reach out to offer a peace pact. I am more than a simple greeting. I am two hands locked like one, uniting fellow Scouts, friends, neighbors, sisters and brothers. I am not done behind the back but face to face. It is my job to keep two people facing one another and not taking the other for granted. I am also reserved for those special times when people want to communicate things like "congratulations, well done" or "blessings be with you".
I am a Compass
I am a compass. I lead the lost to safety. In the hand of a girl, I bring the north star before her eyes. In field and forest I mark a path for her as clear as a road map. By degrees, she finds her way to treasures, campsites, and safely home. I am her guide in the palm of her hand. With me, she tests the four corners of the earth and can go confidently forth on great voyages of discovery. I can show her time. With me she can read the direction of distance and the hour of the stars. By me she knows she has a purpose on earth and has been put here to find it.
I am a Knot
I come in many varieties, such as bowline, half hitch, square, and sheet bend. I am used on land as well as sea by rescuers, sailors, sportsmen, and campers. If tied properly, I do not tighten up, slip, or jam. I have helped many to be pulled to safety without hurting. I am on the fingertips of millions. I can sometimes be done in the dark or tied with one hand. I can tie up a boat, fasten down a tent, or wrap a package. I can be a child's chair, a sling on an injured arm, or a decorative necklace. I am for games, races, and for saving of life. I am with those who rescue and those who are rescued. I can be learned, and used by those who wish to jog their memories. Those who learn to tie me know my purpose. Those who know me best use me to help themselves and to serve others.
I am a Neckerchief [Bandana]
I am a neckerchief on duty, double duty. My duty is to the troop, to be a bond in color and design, binding them together. My other duty is to serve in fun and in pain. I can be a bandage, sling, and a dressing on the head, hand, or foot. In extreme emergency I can be a tourniquet, and have been known to save lives. Whether holding a splint, or keeping a troop occupied in games, I am a neckerchief. I am a garment, a tag, a sign, and I serve. I am like a marker around a girl's neck, fun at her feet, and mercy in her hands.
I am a fire
I am a fire, and a steady breath is my draft and my chimney. I am begun with a match and a bit of dry tinder. I am the pride of the one who sets me in the middle of a ten-foot circle. I am a bed of glowing embers that make people bend their kneeds to see me close. I turn a flame into a layer of coals, a pile of sticks into a campfire, and a cold pit into a hot oven. I come in layers of sticks, tinder, kindling, and fuel, and consume everything from cattle droppings to milkweed. Whether a criss cross or teepee fire lay, I am lit from the windward side. In hiking meals or campouts, I cook shishkabob on pointed sticks and bake potatoes in the ground. I turn open earth into a kitchen, and can keep people eating and on duty for hours. I warm their hearth at sunset, and dry their clothes after a rain.
As I begin with pride, so I am extinguished with pride and care. My wet ashes are turned back into the earth. I come and go as surely as do the sun and the stars. At the end of the day, I am remembered and photographed. I am a wonder of creation and rank high on the list of things people wish for.
Do Good
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
Everybody's Canoe
A young Indian brave was busy at work carving a canoe out of a log. As he worked, members of the tribe passed by. Everybody had a piece of advice to offer the young man.
"I think you are making your canoe too wide," one of them said. The young brave, wishing to show respect for the advice of an elder, narrowed down the canoe.
A little later, another warrior stopped by. "I'm afraid you are cutting the stern too full," he said. Again, the young brave listened to his elder and cut down the stern.
Very soon, yet another member of the tribe stopped, watched awhile, then said, "The bow is too sheer." The young brave accepted this advice as well and changed the line of the bow.
Finally the canoe was complete and the young brave launched it. As soon as it hit the water, it capsized. Laboriously he hauled it back onto the beach. Then he found another log and began to work anew.
Very soon, a member of his tribe stopped by to offer some advice, but this time the young brave was ready. "See that canoe over there?" he asked, pointing to the useless craft on the beach. "That is everybody's canoe." Then he nodded at the work in progress. "This one," he said, "is my canoe".
Fellowship
These are the things I prize and hold of dearest worth,
Light of the sapphire skies, peace of the silent hills.
Music of the birds, murmur of little rills,
Shelter of forests, comfort of the grass.
Shadows of clouds that swiftly pass, and after the shower
The smell of flowers and of the good brown earth.
And most of all, along the way, FELLOWSHIP and mirth,
May naught mar the joy of FELLOWSHIP here.
May none remain hungry and lonely of heart among us,
Let none go hence without the joy of new FRIENDSHIP.
Give us more capacity for love,
And a richer consciousness of being loved.
Friendship 1
Friendship 2
I don't want to change you;
You know better than I what is best for you:
I don't want you to change me;
I only want you to accept me and respect my way;
Then our friendship will be rich,
The Gift of the Trees
We all know (don't we?) that happiness comes from giving to others.
Long ago, when the Great Spirit first put human beings on earth, people were concerned and afraid. "Where will we find food and water?" they asked. The trees laughed softly. "We are your sisters," they said. "We will help you."
The maple tree spoke up: "I will give you sweet water to drink and make into sugar." The elm tree said, "Use my soft bark to make your baskets and tie them together with my tough cords." The hickory tree said, "My cousins and I will fill your baskets with sweet nuts." And she called the chestnut, beech, and walnut to help. The great pine tree whispered softly, "When you get tired, I will make you a bed. My cousins the balsam and cedar will help me."
There was sunshine in the people's hearts as they set out to explore their new world. But soon they came to a deep, wide river. "How will we ever cross the river?" they asked. The trees laughed and laughed. "Take my white skin," said the birch. "Sew it together with the cords of the elm tree and you can make a boat that will carry you across the widest river."
When the sun crossed the sky to his lodge in the west, the people felt cold. Then the balsam fir tree whispered, "Good people, there is much sunfire in my heart. Rub my branches together and you will make a fire." So the people made fire. And that night they slept soundly on the branches of the great pine tree. The north wind blew cold, but there was sunshine in the hearts of the people.
Now when children ask how they can repay the friendship of the trees, a wise person answers, "They do not ask for payment. But you can give trees your care and attention. You can give love and care to every plant and flower---that makes your life beautiful."
A Scout Garden
How to you get Scout group going?
Answer: You plant one.
First, plant five rows of Peas:
Preparedness
Promptness
Perseverance
Politeness
Praise
Then, plant five rows of Lettuce:
Let us be open
Let us be honest
Let us be understanding
Let us be unselfish
Let us help one another
Next to them, plant four rows of Squash:
Squash indifference
Squash negativism
Squash intolerance
Squash complacency
No garden is complete without Turnips:
Turn up for meetings
Turn up with determination
Turn up with a new idea
But without many hours of work and care no troop can grow. Without the help of every member, the Scout 'garden' will turn to weeds:
Don't wait to be asked---ask for it!
Don't say I can't---do it!
Don't wait for someone else---be first!
Build the soil, pull the weeds, and reap the harvest.
