I've been in a funk lately and I know it's because this is the first holiday season without my Dad. We set our meeting dates over the Summer and I knew I had a meeting today. I've been thinking about this meeting today for months... today is my Dad's birthday. He would have been 77.

The last couple months of his life we were looking for our new home. We found one. He saw the pictures. I remember him looking at me with tears in his eyes and saying "I'm sorry I won't be able to help you this time." and my reply of "You can just tell me what I need to do and make sure I'm doing it right." He said "No. I won't do that. I know you know what you're doing." Later, my Mom told me that he was worried about the deck on the back of the new house and wondered if my husband's grill was charcoal, because it could rust and burn through and catch the deck on fire. He just wanted me to be safe. He was also very happy to see my driveway faced the correct way for the sun to melt off the snow and it isn't a steep drive like the last house. He passed away a week before we closed on the new house.
So... here's the Girl Scout connection, if you have made it this far...
The conversation I think of to so many times when I'm discouraged or overwhelmed with Girl Scouts (or overwhelmed) is a conversation Dad and I had in a hospital room. I tried to go see him every other day when he was there for weeks. I'm so thankful I did, too. One evening, it was just Dad and me. I was talking about Girl Scout cookies and how they were arriving and booth sales and sorting and all that... He asked how much we actually got from cookies and was it enough to really cover the expenses. I explained we had saved and worked really hard and the troop is really self-sufficient for the most part at this point. He told me he admired me for what I do with the girls. That it takes someone special to be able to help children that aren't your own. He went on to say that he was thankful I had a good job, because he was certain I put in a lot of my own money to support the activities and the organization. He knew it was a lot of work and he was sure there was also a lot of heartache that came along with it. My Dad was very insightful. He pretty much hit the nail on the head.

So, today... is a Girl Scout meeting day... a special one... it's our Holiday Party and it's Court of Awards for both Cadettes and Daisies. Dad will be on my mind the entire time, I'm sure. But, I also hope he's smiling down on me and cheering me on... as he always did. I can hear him saying "You can do it. I know you can."
I will end with this... what we tend to forget while cheering on our girls to reach new heights and try new things, is that we need a cheerleader, too. We need positive feedback to keep going. We need someone to stand up and say "You Rock!"

I'm proud of you. (not everyone is brave enough to do what you're doing.)
I admire you. (not just anyone would put in the time and energy that you do.)
I thank you for making a difference. (because... you are... you may have to wait to see it... but you are!)
You can do it. (didn't say it would be easy, but most things worth doing... aren't easy.)
I know you can. (and I know you will.)
I lost my dad last year and your story is very familiar to mine. My dad was big into Boy Scouts with my brother and loved what we do and did with Girl Scouts. I just found your Blog and love it! Thank you for sharing this personal connection to scouting and the heartfelt reminder of why we do what we do.
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