A Prayer For The Children
We pray for
the Children
who sneak
popsicles before supper,
who erase
holes in math workbooks,
who can never
find their shoes.
And we pray
for those
who stare
at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't
bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never
"counted potatoes,"
who are born
in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never
go to the circus,
who live in
an X-rated world.
We pray for
children
who bring
us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us
in a hurry and forget their lunch money.
And we pray
for those
who never
get dessert,
who have no
safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch
their parents watch them die,
who can't
find any bread to steal,
who don't
have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures
aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters
are real.
We pray for
children
who spend
all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw
tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost
stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
who never
rinse out the tub,
who get visits
from the tooth fairy,
who don't
like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm
in church or temple and scream in the phone,
whose tears
we sometimes laugh at and
whose smiles
can make us cry.
And we pray
for those
whose nightmares
come in the daytime,
who will eat
anything,
who have never
seen a dentist,
who aren't
spoiled by anybody,
who go to
bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and
move, but have no being.
We pray for
children
who want to
be carried and for those who must,
who we never
give up on
and for those
who don't get a second chance.
For those we
smother and . . .
for those
who will grab the hand of anybody
kind enough
to offer it.
Angel in Green
Having left
mortal earth I passed through Heaven's gate
And while
anxiously awaiting the outcome of my fate
I walked amongst
the angels all robed in purest white
Whereupon
I saw one figure that cast a greenish light.
She sat upon
a misty cloud, a harp held to her breast,
In a flowing,
blowing gown of green, unlike all the rest;
I asked what
great deed she'd done to earn the special hue
That gave
her color where others had none, or maybe just a few.
She said, "On
earth I sought no fame, fortune was not my goal
I shunned
the power of politics and worked without a toll;
I spent time
with children, helping them to grow
For as you
reap in life, so must you learn to sow."
"You see,"
she said, "the dividend while growing up I'd share
I repaid where
many others were too self involved to care;
Girl Scouting
was my choice of roads to follow in my quest
For among
the girls I found a love deeper than the rest."
"A teacher
was I, my work was hard, I had no diploma or pay
But where
family and institutions failed I helped them find the way;
The lessons
I taught were obscure and difficult to see
For they didn't
have names like spelling or math or geometry."
"They were
lessons in life delivered through guided experience
And they taught
such things as character, spirit, and confidence;
Though on
earth my life was blessed, it's even more so today
For when I
look down I see my work as my girls show others the way."
"On earth Girl
Scouting taught me to leave things better than before
And the same
applies to that mortal place where life never was a bore
Now having
lived by that Girl Scout rule in every earthly endeavor
I have become
an Angel in Green and shall be a Girl Scout forever."
Another Leader's Poem
Sometimes I
get discouraged. My time is not my own.
If I'm not
somewhere, I'm always on the phone,
Reminding someone's
mother of a stray permission slip.
Whose loss
would cause disaster to our upcoming field trip.
I'm dashing
out to get supplies (I think I'm going daft!)
Who's idea
was this? Can we really do this craft?
And then there
are the cookies-on the chairs & on the floor.
My house has
twice as many as the local grocery store.
Even when I'm
sitting still, my brain is overheating
Searching
for a game or song to liven up the meeting.
Just when I'm
exhausted, too tired to move again,
A small eruption
at the door and the girls are coming in!
I draw a breath
in wonder, & ask myself, "Oh Why"?
Then I'm almost
toppled by a bear hug, just knee-high.
The room is
full of laughter and suddenly I see
That I really
cannot think of a better place to be.
Yes, I'm a
Girl Scout leader & I guess that's no surprise,
And everything
I do is worth the smile in one girl's eyes.
Because
the Girl
by Mimi Murray,
National Operational Volunteer,
GSUSA
Because the
girl
has a need,
We have an
obligation.
Because the
girl
has a choice,
We must be
her better choice.
Because the
girl
has high expectations,
We must excel.
Because the
girl
wants to explore,
We must be
her guide.
Because the
girl
wants to belong,
We must open
our arms.
Because the
girl
is searching
for direction,
We must be
her compass
Because the
girl
encounters
times of turmoil,
We must be
her safe haven.
Because the
girl
is tomorrow's
woman,
We must care
today.
Because of
the girl
We exist.