Dear Bobwhites,
I hope this April post finds you all well and happy. We are fast approaching our one year anniversary of when we met and began this wonderful journey together! I can hardly believe it. The progress each of you is making toward completing your ticket is fantastic. I am so very proud of you all for your hard work and dedication to self improvement in and effort to give back through your servant leadership. I sincerely hope you are enjoying the journey. I also hope that you have kept a journal of your experiences. If you have not taken the time to write down the experiences directly related to Wood Badge I would strongly recommend doing so. It's fun to look back over the past year and reflect on how a course like this really can make a difference in your life and the lives of many others.
I have had reports that some of you have been asked to participate as staff in an upcoming course. Congratulations! This will be a great opportunity for you and you will be able to see the big picture from a broader perspective than as a participant. I can promise you that concepts will cement in your mind and the pure genius of Wood Badge will become ever more clear as you help others progress through the same journey.
I also know that most of you are very, very close to completing your ticket. I can't wait to see you earn your beads and receive the recognition you deserve for your hard work and dedication. I mostly look forward to seeing the looks on the faces of the audience who have supported you and look to you for your examples. Inspiring others to greatness is what it's all about.
Now - a quick inspirational note and I'll close. BP once said, "A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room." I believe that with all my heart.
Case in point, I just spent the last three days hiking Zion National Park with my brother and my daughter and her two friends. We were on a particular out-n-back trail (meaning you hike back the same path you took in) and my daughter said, "Look at how the scenery has changed." I decided to use the Socratic method and planted some questions in their minds to get them to ponder what they had said and what they were experiencing.
"What do you mean it's changed", I said, "Isn't this the exact same trail we just hiked in on? How can it be any different?" They thought about that for a minute and responded, "Well, we are looking at it from a different perspective now. Plus the light has changed. It's later in the day and the shadows are different. Yes it is the same mountain, trail, rocks, dirt, plants, and trees, but from this time of day and this perspective we are seeing it in a different way." Mission accomplished. I didn't say any more to them. They experienced it on their own. This simple truth that as one moves along the trail of life and the light and perspective changes on what seems to be the same old thing over and over again, we continue to learn and see and grow. Think of this the next time you are reading the scriptures, hearing the same lesson, or doing the same mundane thing day after day. What is it you can see today that you couldn't yesterday? I promise, there is something to see.
God bless you all in your journey!
YIS
Tom Brand
The Regal Eagle
