Courage

Last night’s Council Fire talk was on the theme of courage, the second character trait in the Honor Council Pledge. Three of the five traits find their core strength in courage. It is the one trait that is universally appreciated and honored. It is what we all wish we had. It is an ideal that is worthy of consideration at a young age and we made the point with the story of Harriet Tubman. If you don’t remember the details of her life, check it out. She was quite a woman!

The girls sat in rapt silence as I told the story. The moment was made more intimate because we were snuggled in the pit as opposed to the traditional council fire clearing in the woods. Rain (of course) was the reason, but in this case it seemed to work magically. I teared up at one point, the poignancy of the point being so real… the girls seemed to get it. I hope we were all inspired to grow in Sincerity, Honesty, and Truth as we bravely do the right thing even when it is hard or goes agains the crowd.

Rain… it continues… but not for much longer! Today is the last of the big rain weekend, from now on it should be about perfect. Even though it has rained 4.5 inches since Friday, the girls don’t seem to mind it in the least. When I announced the change of weather I was surprised that they were a bit disappointed (all were hoping the lake would rise to a record level… it hasn’t!). We are making the most of the rain while it is here, then welcome the sunshine tomorrow!

This week will be one marked by progress in our classes and growth in our relationships. We will pass levels (which will be recognized in the next Council Fire), learn our lines, prepare for our shows, and produce some amazing artwork. It will be a week of surprising joys and unexpected challenges. The girls will grow a lot during this week; I think it the best of the session!

• Breakfast: Cornbeef Hash and eggs
• Lunch: Shepherds Pie and peas
• Dinner: Poppyseed Chicken and a very special dessert.
• EP: A BIG camp wide relay type of thing. Will be fun rain or shine!

Thanks for reading the blog and supporting camp so abundantly. Things are going very well. I couldn’t be more pleased! Leland put together a little video of our first week, it is posted below. Can you believe a week has already past! I can’t… time is flying by in Tuxedo.