A Bridge to Build

An old man traveling a long highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The raging fast stream held no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span that tide, that raging stream.

"Old man," cried a fellow pilgrim near,
"You're wasting your time in building here.
"Your journey will end with the closing day;
"You never again come this way.
"You have crossed this wide and raging stream
"Why build you this bridge at all?"

The builder lifted his old gray head;
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said.
"There follows me after today,
"A youth whose path is here and must pass this way.
"This fast running stream which has not bothered me,
"To that fair-haired youth may a danger be;
"He, too, must cross in the dimness of dusk:
"Good friend, I am building this bridge for him,
And all other fellows whom may cross this way."

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Remember as a Boy Scout you live by the Motto and the Scout Law and in those words
you build bridges to help others. Never forget that.

The Weakest Link

You've heard the saying "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". That's absolutely true. With a chain, I can pull a car or lift a heavy load - I can perform many tasks. But, if I try to lift something that is too heavy, one of the links will break - the weakest link will let down the rest of the chain.

In Scouting, each scout works on personal advancement to strengthen himself and improve his skills. Personal advancement increases the strength of each link in our chain so we can accomplish more.  That is the reason all of you are working on your Rank Advancements.

But, there will always be a weakest link. No matter what the task at hand, some person will be less skilled than the others. Someone will not be able to tie a certain knot, or kindle a fire, or hike as fast, or recite as well as the others. At some point, each of you will be a weakest link - I guarantee it! Being the weakest link is not a shameful thing - it is an opportunity for improvement.

When I was a kid growing up the neatest thing was the Schwinn Bicycle with the two headlights at the front and a book carrier at the back. My pals and I would ride to an empty lot for baseball. However, there was a problem, as I rode with my pals I would fall off my bike constantly and could not keep up. My nickname? 'Last batter up.'  I kept that name for about 2 weeks when I gained confidence.

One of the best things about Scouting is that our "chain" is better than a simple metal chain. When we have a task to do, we are not really limited by our weakest link. The other stronger or more skilled or more experienced links support the weaker links. They help them, they teach them, and they guide them. As a result, we accomplish much more than if we each just did our specific task and left the rest behind

Tenderfoot Michael is our Troop Scribe and will be keeping the minutes and roll call.  Will he make mistakes? Of course he will. Without mistakes learning cannot take place. Will Tomas our Troop Historian make mistakes in the troops history. Again of course he will as will Arik in learning the skills necessary for advancement in Rank.













Last week I felt that Tenderfoot Michael was a weak link. What did I do? I asked all to allow Michael to lead the discussion. Can any one tell me why? To allow Michael to learn and grow as a Scout.

Be a strong link for yourself and for your troop. If you feel unsure, ask your Troop Leaders or Adult Leaders. Take on skills and challenges that better yourself as a Boy Scout.

 THE STORY OF LITTLE BEAVER AND LITTLE FOX 

 

Once there were two Indian boys Little Beaver and Little Fox that were very good friends. They explored, fished, and hunted together. They were both great athletes and well-liked by all in their tribe.

In their Village there was also a young girl, Morning Dove,  that they both began to like and compete for. One of the boys, out of jealousy, told the Morning Dove that the other boy had done something very bad which would disgrace him and his family. This was completely untrue.  Afterwards, the boy felt very ashamed of what he had done. He told Morning Dove that he had lied and then he apologized to his friend, Little Fox for what he had said.

 

But, as he walked around the village, he could hear others repeating the false words he had spoken about his friend. Very troubled by this, he went to the tribal medicine man, Crow for advice.

 

'How can I undo this terrible thing I have done?', he asked.

 

The wise man told him, 'Shoot 3 ducks and 3 geese, this will help feed Squaw Little Feather whose husband passed away last winter.  Pull off all their feathers and put them in a leather bag. Bring me the bag and the birds.'

 

The boy did this. He gave the birds to the wise man, and the wise man said, 'Now, take the bag of feathers to the top of the great mountain, open it, and shake out all the feathers. Then, return here.'

 

The boy climbed the mountain, released all the feathers into the wind, and returned to the wise man.

 

The wise man said, 'Now, go back up the mountain and pick up every single feather no matter how small that you released and put them back in your bag.'

 

The boy replied, 'But, that is not possible. The feathers have blown far away. I can never recover all of them.'

 

The wise man said, 'So it is with your words.'

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At school you have boys and girls together learning social skills.  At recess and lunch you make bonds and friendships. You strive to be the best you can be, at math or science and learn to be polite to others.. 

Your time is an exciting time. But it can also be a serious time. When you feel hurt or angry and you say things that make you feel better that is untrue about someone, that can be serious.

As the Indian boy learned,  feathers tossed in the wind are impossible to take back, so it is with your words at school, with family and friends.

The moral is this, you must think about the impact of your words before you say them. You cannot take back something you've said.

     I am reminded of a story long ago told in the old west about an oak tree and barbed wire. You see, the oak tree was growing and it was a wonderful beautiful tree. The barbed wire was sharp and could if one was not careful, cut and injure you.

    As the seasons changed the tree grew and the barbed wire went through the large oak tree.  Well what a sight that was. There it and the barbed wire. Bound together. One whose leaves reached the skies and the other whose barbs went through the tree.

The moral of this story is simple. Though you may find yourself arguing with your parents or your friends or even are upset with some one at a Troop meeting.  You can find common ground.