my heartwarming caucus story
You know how sometimes in your darkest hours, you wonder if your life was spent doing things that made any kind of impact on anyone? I know I have had my moments of wondering if I could have done better for my family if I had pursued a career during the years I spent being a stay-home mom, and volunteering in the community. No doubt, we would have been better off financially, then and now, but life would have been very different.
Well, Tuesday night at Caucus, I had a young man come up to me and say, "I have always wanted to meet you. You made such a difference in my wife's life." Behind him was a young woman holding a baby, and she said, "Hi, I'm A__ N_____—I was in your Brownie troop."
She went on to tell me how I had been the best Brownie/Girl Scout leader ever, and that it had made such a difference in the way she is raising her five kids, and that it has made her a better Brownie leader herself.
I was flattered, but a little embarrassed, and explained to her that it wasn't just me. I had relied heavily on the working moms for ideas for things to do with the girls—things they wanted to do themselves, but couldn't because of having to work. I also had lots of support from the parents, because I told them from the start that I would work with the kids, but that I would have nothing to do with fundraising or cookies.
A__ said to that, "Yes, but without you to lead it all and bring it all together, none of those ideas would have happened. Thank you for setting such a good example. That's kind of why I'm here tonight. I remember when we were all upset because of an injustice that was happening at school. You didn't just call the school, you helped us plan a way to deal with the problem effectively ourselves, and let us do it, and we brought about change. We're here tonight because we want to be involved in changing the direction of our country. Thank you."
That moment, and a few others like them over the years, make me realize how teachers must feel when students from long ago look them up. And yes, they make it worth every extra dollar I didn't earn.