Do a good turn daily

Some of the best memories of my childhood were those when I was a Girl Scout. I started as a Brownie, and after two years, I promoted from wearing a brown uniform with the little beanie to the more sophisticated green uniform with a sash and a beret.

I still remember the Girl Scout promise I learned as a Brownie. “On my honor, I will try to do my duty, to God and my country; to help other people every day, and to obey the Girl Scout Law.” (A little disclaimer here. I wrote this from my own memory, so if there are those who remember differently, I get it.)

While learning this promise, I did a pretty bad thing, an act that I never lived down in my family. I etched the Brownie Promise into the top of our dining room table. When it happened, it wasn’t a bit funny, but my dad teased me about it for the rest of his life.