Those Were the Days

When I was in third grade, I went to an introductory meeting for the Brownie Scouts. I had a good time picking wildflowers with the other girls, but when the leader said next week we would each “get to” stand up and tell about what we’d found, the thought terrified me so much I never went back. My friend Carol was apparently not intimidated by the thought of getting up in front of a group of her peers. She was ready to sign on the dotted line. She talked it up at home and my guess is she was probably pretty persuasive. Unfortunately, she was informed that the family budget didn’t have extra money for the required uniform at that time. Enter Carol’s mother, a gifted seamstress and someone not easily deterred. This was 1958, and clothes made at home cost a fraction of those that were store-bought, so she wrote to the Girl Scouts of America and asked if she might be able to buy enough yardage to make a uniform for her daughter. The organization responded by sending the fabric she needed, free of charge. Her mother borrowed a uniform and went to work designing a pattern. Then she expertly sewed the uniform and managed to acquire a slightly worn brown beret and to mend it so it looked new. The crowning touch? A hand embroidered brownie on the breast pocket and voila! I loved this story so much when I heard it, I asked my friend’s permission to share it. I can’t think of many people who would have gone to such lengths to fulfill their child’s dream.