A Scoutmaster Minute - Symbol
This past Friday, December 6th, we celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas. He is the patron of children and of Christmas giving. He lived in the fourth century. Santa Claus is a Dutch form of the name St. Nicholas. Back then, young women were required to have a dowry (personal wealth) to bring to a marriage. There was a poor man with two daughters and no dowry. When Nicholas heard of the man’s situation, he went to his house at night and tossed a small pouch of gold through a window. He did the same for the younger daughter. The man waited up to find out who was leaving the gold and when he saw Nicholas, he thanked him. St. Nicholas aka: Santa Claus has become a symbol of giving and one that many in the world recognize.
There are a lot of symbols that we recognize. Let’s take some time to name a few that we know: the Coca-Cola logo, a poison warning label, a stop or yield sign, the Amazon logo, the Scout badge, a heart symbol, cross, etc.
When you see these symbols, you know what they mean—what they stand for, what some of them instruct you to do.
You, too, are a symbol. You represent the Boy Scouts of America. People see you and know that you stand for something good. You stand for being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Be a good symbol!
Mr Gnadinger (Mr. G)