I Blame the Girl Scouts

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Somehow, in the last couple of years, my meek and mild little daughters have turned into speak-your-mind, healthily opinionated, not-afraid-to-stand-up-for-what's-right, strong-willed little women.

Clearly this is the fault of the Girl Scouts.

You know, that organization that empowers innocent little girls all over the nation, and even the world, to discover who they are and what they stand for.

It's funny how things happen.  I never intended to be so involved in the Girl Scouts.  I was a Brownie for a few years, and even a Junior, and it was fun, but not a hugely life-changing experience.  Still, when Vicki started school, I thought it would be a good thing for her.  The only problem was that there were no troops nearby with space for her.  So my friend suggested we start our own troop, and here I am six years later, wrapping up another year of cookie sales with not one, but three Girl Scout daughters.

Who all want to change the world in their own ways.

At each Girl Scout meeting, the girls all recite the Girl Scout Promise, which is:

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.

The Girl Scout Law is:

I will do my best to be
Honest and Fair,
Friendly and Helpful,
Considerate and Caring,
Courageous and Strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
and to
Respect myself and others,
Respect Authority,
Use resources wisely,
Make the world a better place, and
Be a sister to every Girl Scout.

I have watched that first Girl Scout troop grow from five tiny 1st graders to 12 strong 6th graders, and I am proud of them each and every day.  I leave our meetings this year on such a high from listening to these girls discuss constructive ways to deal with the situations they face each and every day.  We've talked about friendships, bullies, jealousy, and boys (though I'm not ready for that one yet!), and they've stood as great examples to their younger counterparts as they taught the Daisies all about cookie sales.

I've watched these girls step completely out of their comfort zone and overcome shyness and fear of speaking to strangers in order to sell their cookies to support their sister Girl Scouts.  And I've watched each one of them smile while doing it.  They've learned that work can be fun, and that hard work is rewarding.

I've sat through a meeting and heard them constructively and fairly calmly discuss a bullying situation that a few of their own were facing.  They tried to be fair, and considerate, and rather than spend an hour tearing down the girl who was doing the bullying, they simply discussed how they could solve the problem and support each other.

I've watched them be friends to the friendless and support each other through all kinds of life lessons.  They have their moments (don't we all?), but this group of girls have never ceased to impress and amaze me.  I am proud of them and proud to be their friend.

As for my own three Girl Scouts?

I have seen Vicki, Lexi, and Ellie embody each line of the Girl Scout Law at different times and in different ways.  Each time they do something nice for someone else, they're being Friendly and Helpful, and Considerate and Caring.  When they admit to doing something they shouldn't have, they're being Honest and Fair, Courageous and Strong, and Responsible for What They Say and Do.  When they remember to compost and recycle and reuse, they're Using Their Resources Wisely and Making the World a Better Place.  When they're respectful to their teachers (and their parents!), they're Respecting Authority.  And, most importantly, every day they're trying hard to  Respect Themselves and Others.

They're serving God and their country by discovering who they are, where they come from, what's going on in the world around them, and how to get along with everyone they meet.

So whenever someone tells me that my girls are so well-behaved, or so polite, or friendly, or considerate, I think that instead of laughing it off and saying, "Oh, you should see them at home!", I'll just say, "Thank you! They're Girl Scouts."

Because, really, I blame the Girl Scouts.

A Time and a Place

Sorry in advance for two kind of heavy posts in a row.  I'm sure my kids will do or say something hilarious any day now, and we'll be back to the light, fluffy fun that is normally this blog!

Being Obama supporters, we stand out a little bit in our church. Not too many Mormons are up there with us, but we don’t mind too much. At church, it’s the Gospel we have in common that matters, after all, not the politics. Some Sundays we joke about parking our Obama bumper-stickered car next to the car with the Mitt Romney bumper stickers, but chances are no one would even notice. We wouldn’t be making any sweeping statements, anyway; it just makes us giggle. By now we’re used to being different and we like being that way.

This morning Chris and I spent a wonderful three hours in the temple, a place of quiet reflection, learning, and worship for worthy members of the Church. We were joining some friends who were attending for their first time and being joined eternally as a family. A husband, wife, and their two sons together forever – what a beautiful thing. We were honored to be invited to share such an intimate and joyful occasion with them, and we’re so happy for them. It was a great morning, full of love and friendship and the Spirit.

We left the temple feeling refreshed and renewed and walked across the beautiful grounds to our car, where we were immediately brought crashing back to earth.

Someone had left a small card stuck in the driver’s side window with a hand-written statement saying something to the effect that if we were just doing our homework we’d learn how much Obama was working against the Church.

Wow.

I’m guessing whoever left us that note saw our bumper sticker and was horrified. They probably decided that the best thing they could do, as a patriotic American, was to share their “knowledge” with people they clearly felt were less-enlightened than they. The note was obviously scrawled in a hurry; they probably thought they were doing us a favor. In all honesty, what came across was just plain old self-righteousness. We’re secure enough in our faith and our convictions that, while the rudeness bothered us, we’re not deeply affected by this petty attempt at persuasion. However, I can’t help thinking about what might have happened if our situation had been different.

Suppose we’d come to the temple this morning seeking guidance or reassurance for troubled hearts?

Suppose we were just returning to the temple after years of inactivity?

Suppose we were, like our friends, attending the temple for the very first time?

Suppose we weren’t even Mormon, but just visiting the grounds out of curiosity?

The temple is supposed to be a place of peace, love, and Godliness. Only members of the Church who have shown a willingness to make very specific and sacred covenants with God are allowed inside. Those who attend often leave filled with the Spirit and renewed in their convictions to lead a Christlike life. Church members spend a good amount of conversation with non-members explaining why not just anyone is permitted inside.

What does such a passive-aggressive attempt at political persuasion outside the building say to an outside observer about the hearts of the people inside?

It took one crazy preacher with a match and an agenda to inflame the whole of the Muslim world; it could take just one person with a pen and an opinion to change someone’s views about Mormons and the temple.

Fortunately, I do know that our note-writer is a rare soul; most people who attend the temple would never even think about doing something so crass. We know many people at church who strongly disagree with us politically, but we still see them as wonderful, Christlike people. I’d like to believe that our anonymous note-writer is also a good person who just thought they were righting a wrong.

So here’s the lesson I’ve chosen to take from this experience: think before you speak out.

Not everything needs to be said. You may not like President Obama; well, I don’t like Glenn Beck. But we don’t have to agree politically in order to agree about anything else. We really don’t. Religion and politics do not mix well, but they don’t need to. Jesus spent time with Pharisees and sinners alike, and the wonderful thing about His plan is that we are allowed the agency to make our own choices. If you don’t agree with my choices, and you feel it necessary to speak up, speak up directly to me. Leaving anonymous notes definitely won’t do anything positive for your cause. Trust me.

So if you get nothing else out of this post, please, please remember this: there’s a time and a place for everything. It’s a wonderful thing to have so much diversity in the world. Differences of opinion are what make life interesting. But there’s a time and a place for bringing up those differences.

And the House of the Lord is not it.