September
13, 1999
by MaryAnn Gardner
Brandi
And the Seventh Point of the Scout Law
Brandi was a beautiful German Shepherd.
Larry and his wife had raised her from a puppy. Since Larry was the young Assistant
Scoutmaster for Troop 421, Brandi spent much of her time around Scouts. She seemed to be
in love with kids. She inspected each Patrol at Troop meetings, sat quietly at Larry's
feet at Courts of Honor, and led the way on hikes - sometimes running to the back to
encourage the last one in line.
Although she was always ready to play,
Brandi assumed the role of protector of her young friends. When the Scouts gathered at
Larry's pool to work on their swimming skills, Brandi kept watch over them from the pool's
edge. When they lay motionless in the water while practicing their "dead man"
float, an agitated Brandi had to be restrained from jumping into the pool to rescue them.
After lights out on campouts, Brandi
checked each tent before she settled in for a night's rest. The next morning would find
Brandi right in the middle of things, keeping everyone's spirits high. If a Scout frowned
from being tired from a busy day, Brandi's enthusiasm and cold nose would soon change that
frown to a smile. The Scouts named her the official Troop dog. The designation seemed
fitting since Brandi was truly "...trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, ..."
and all the other admirable points of the Scout Law.
Like her young charges, Brandi was also
curious. So curious, in fact, that she couldn't stay put. Sometimes she would jump over
the fence surrounding her home and investigate the countryside. Now, I'm not positive, but
I believe the last time Brandi went investigating, this must be what happened:
| At the same time that
Brandi was crossing the busy highway near her home, God noticed that the young saints
seemed unhappy. "Hmmm," God
thought, "Heaven may be a great place, but white robes and harps are not the things
of children. What can I do to make this a wondrous place for these souls who came here so
early in their earthly lives?" Then, as God looked down to Earth, "Ah, yes.
That's what we need."
The mouth of God opened and the voice
called softly, "Brandi, Come Home." Like all good Scouts, Brandi obediently ran
into the arms of her Creator. |
* * * * *
If you have a Scouting
story you would like to share, contact the NetCompass
Editor for more information.
To read more Scouting
stories, visit our PDS Archive here on the
NetCompass. Visit SCOUTER Catalog and order Ray Harriot's new book More
Stories Around the Campfire. You can also order his earlier Stories
Around the Campfire which is one of the best selling Campfire Books during the last
ten years. For more books and resources on Scouting and the great outdoors visit the Knowledge Tree.
Subscribe to the NetCompass Newsletter
Previous
Columns |