In 1967, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, covered an Otis Redding song called "Respect." Albeit it is 57 years old, I would say that most of you have heard her version, where she added spelling out the title in the lyrics: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and the following line "find out what it means to me."
We all want and deserve to be respected. In my life and over my career, I have found that the receipt of respect is sometimes proportionate to the giving of respect. As Aretha implored, we must find out what it means to others, and we should do our best to show it. It is a sad commentary on our society when one must ask for respect, but many of the issues that Otis and Aretha sang about in the 1960s persist today, be it the lack of respect for gender, religion, race, ethnicity, affinity, place of birth, or any reason where someone is different.
In storms of disrespect, be the shining light that punctures through the clouds with what is morally right – a kind heart that recognizes the value of others and gives that respect.
A Scout is Courteous. A Scout is Kind. A Scout is Brave.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Scoutmaster Minute— November 19, 2024
A few weeks ago my family went out to dinner after picking up my sister from the airport. When we arrived to the restaurant it was very busy due to homecoming. The only available seating was outside. It was a chillier evening so sitting outside was a little more uncomfortable than we would have liked but we were all hungry and that's where the available seats were.
When our food came to the table Stew, my husband, noticed that there wasn't something right about Isaac's food. He had ordered a gluten free cheeseburger and what showed up to the table was a gluten filled cheese burger.
Isaac, my youngest child, has celiac disease. He must have a strict gluten free diet. Any amount of gluten ingested by him makes him very ill.
The mistake made by the restaurant made could have made Isaac very ill and sick. The server apologized for the mistake and sent back the burger for the correct one.
The general manager came out with the correct order and also apologized about the mistake. He also said that we wouldn't be paying for Isaac's hamburger.
When the general manager came out we said that we understand that mistakes happen.
Time passed and Isaac had eaten some of his hamburger. The general manager came out again to see how Isaac was doing with his hamburger and how everyone was enjoying their meal. The manager also apologized again for the mistake.
We said we understand mistakes happen. We know you're really busy tonight and mistakes happen.
The general manager right then and there said busyness is blessing not an excuse. I appreciate your patience tonight with everything I'm going to take care of the table's meal and bring Isaac our gluten free chocolate cake.
I tell you this story tonight because being courteous and kind made this a very positive experience.
Our time at the restaurant would have gone very differently if we had used anger and harsh language with the folks working at the restaurant.
The next time you're in a situation where you want to use harsh words and language, pause and think about how you can in that moment live up to the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
A scout is kind.
A scout is courteous.
When our food came to the table Stew, my husband, noticed that there wasn't something right about Isaac's food. He had ordered a gluten free cheeseburger and what showed up to the table was a gluten filled cheese burger.
Isaac, my youngest child, has celiac disease. He must have a strict gluten free diet. Any amount of gluten ingested by him makes him very ill.
The mistake made by the restaurant made could have made Isaac very ill and sick. The server apologized for the mistake and sent back the burger for the correct one.
The general manager came out with the correct order and also apologized about the mistake. He also said that we wouldn't be paying for Isaac's hamburger.
When the general manager came out we said that we understand that mistakes happen.
Time passed and Isaac had eaten some of his hamburger. The general manager came out again to see how Isaac was doing with his hamburger and how everyone was enjoying their meal. The manager also apologized again for the mistake.
We said we understand mistakes happen. We know you're really busy tonight and mistakes happen.
The general manager right then and there said busyness is blessing not an excuse. I appreciate your patience tonight with everything I'm going to take care of the table's meal and bring Isaac our gluten free chocolate cake.
I tell you this story tonight because being courteous and kind made this a very positive experience.
Our time at the restaurant would have gone very differently if we had used anger and harsh language with the folks working at the restaurant.
The next time you're in a situation where you want to use harsh words and language, pause and think about how you can in that moment live up to the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
A scout is kind.
A scout is courteous.
Monday, November 11, 2024
Scoutmaster Minute -- 12 November 2024
This past Saturday after Scouting for Food and as we were finishing setting up the Christmas tree stand, we had a bit of time before lunch arrived. I asked you to move the woodpile (from another service project), so it did not interfere with the tree stand. Like many things, this started with somewhat organized chaos as you formed a fire-bucket drill line to move the logs -- "hey, slow down, you are going too fast!" and "ouch, you just dropped that on my toe!" As the task continued, as a group you started getting your rhythm, finding the right pace. I turned my back and next thing I knew you were singing. Quickly the huge stack of wood was gone -- you had moved it to a new location and stacked it nicely. Within that short while, you had moved across the continuum of team development -- Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Facing a mundane task, you made it easier with song. Like so many things, the attitude with which we approach can prove decisive. Continue to find joy in what you do and share that joy with others.
A Scout is Cheerful.
A Scout is Cheerful.
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Scoutmaster Minute, 5 November 2024
When most people think of the automobile brand Buick, they think of a doctor's car or automobiles for older people. They do not associate the brand with muscle cars. This changed for a brief four years in the 1980s with the Buick Gran National and Buick GNX.
It started a decade earlier in 1973 with a young Buick engineer named Ken Baker. Ken started a Boy Scout Explorer post, a program focused on older boys and girls, very similar to what Venturing is today, but focused on specific careers. As an automobile engineer, it may be of no surprise that Ken's Explorer post was focused on automobile engineering. During this time the US and much of the world was suffering from a fuel crisis and engine sizes were slashed across brands. His Explorer post was experimenting with getting more power from a small V6 engine by using a turbocharger as forced induction. The results exceeded everyone's expectations. Buick's general manager found out and called in Ken, asking for the details on "the secret Explorer project." Ken thought he was going to get fired, but instead was promoted to be in charge of a team with the goal of putting the design into production. In the coming years, Buick worked to refine the concept and in 1984 released the Gran National. By 1986, the Gran National achieved a then-staggering zero-to-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds, a second faster than that year's Chevrolet Corvette and just 0.1 second slower than a Ferrari Testarossa. A year later and in its last year of production (1987), the Buick Gran National in its GNX form hit zero to 60 in 4.7 seconds. It is important to note that the Gran National was built on the frame of a Buick Regal, which was a mid-sized family car.
Again, this started as a Boy Scouts of America Explorer post project. In Ken Baker's words, "we begged, borrowed, and scrounged parts to build." This did not start as a huge effort by Buick and this was not meant to be a production engine, yet it ended up powering one of the most iconic cars of the 1980s.
Sometimes our experiments lead to great things. It is important that we think outside the box and remain unafraid to take calculated risks. Things only improve when we challenge the status quo and focus on how we can affect change for the better. On my honor, I will do my best
It started a decade earlier in 1973 with a young Buick engineer named Ken Baker. Ken started a Boy Scout Explorer post, a program focused on older boys and girls, very similar to what Venturing is today, but focused on specific careers. As an automobile engineer, it may be of no surprise that Ken's Explorer post was focused on automobile engineering. During this time the US and much of the world was suffering from a fuel crisis and engine sizes were slashed across brands. His Explorer post was experimenting with getting more power from a small V6 engine by using a turbocharger as forced induction. The results exceeded everyone's expectations. Buick's general manager found out and called in Ken, asking for the details on "the secret Explorer project." Ken thought he was going to get fired, but instead was promoted to be in charge of a team with the goal of putting the design into production. In the coming years, Buick worked to refine the concept and in 1984 released the Gran National. By 1986, the Gran National achieved a then-staggering zero-to-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds, a second faster than that year's Chevrolet Corvette and just 0.1 second slower than a Ferrari Testarossa. A year later and in its last year of production (1987), the Buick Gran National in its GNX form hit zero to 60 in 4.7 seconds. It is important to note that the Gran National was built on the frame of a Buick Regal, which was a mid-sized family car.
Again, this started as a Boy Scouts of America Explorer post project. In Ken Baker's words, "we begged, borrowed, and scrounged parts to build." This did not start as a huge effort by Buick and this was not meant to be a production engine, yet it ended up powering one of the most iconic cars of the 1980s.
Sometimes our experiments lead to great things. It is important that we think outside the box and remain unafraid to take calculated risks. Things only improve when we challenge the status quo and focus on how we can affect change for the better. On my honor, I will do my best
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