This Will Make You Feel Better

If you sometimes get discouraged, consider this fellow:

He dropped out of grade school, ran a country store, went broke, spent 15 years paying off his bills, married, became unhappy in his marriage, ran for the House of

Representatives and lost twice, ran for the Senate and lost twice, delivered a speech that left his audience indifferent but later became a classic, was attacked daily by the press and despised by half the country.

Despite all this, imagine how many people all over the world have been inspired by this awkward, rumpled, brooding man who signed his name simply A. Lincoln.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"The wonder to me of all wonders is how some teachers have neglected Nature study, this easy and unfailing means of education, and have struggled to impose Biblical instruction as the first step towards getting a restless, full-spirited boy to think of higher things."

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"Nature study is the key activity in Scouting and Guiding."

One Person Can Make a Difference

In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.

In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.

In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union.

In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.

In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the United States.

In 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler the leadership of the Nazi Party.

And in 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.

Each of us in our own way can make a difference.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"God has given us a world to live in that is full of beauties and wonders and He has given us not only eyes to see them but minds to understand them, if we only have the sense to look at them in that light."

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along a beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to the Lord and one belonging to him.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him, and he questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, where you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"The man who is blind to the beauties of Nature has missed half the pleasure of life."

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

You’ve failed many times, although you might not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn’t you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.

R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.

English novelist John Creasey received more than 700 rejection slips before he published over 600 books.

Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.

Don’t worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"A Scout/Guide should save animals as far as possible from pain, and should not kill any animal unnecessarily, not even the smallest of God's creatures."

Symbols

There are a lot of symbols that we recognize. Let’s take some time to name or draw a few that we know: the Coca-Cola logo, a poison warning label, a stop or yield sign, the Nike logo, the Scout badge, a heart symbol, cross, etc.

When you see these symbols, you know what they mean—what they stand for, what some of them instruct you to do.

You, too, are a symbol. You represent the Scout Association. People see you and know that you stand for something good. You stand for being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Be a good symbol!