First Goodbye

I have volunteered for the last two years as a Girl Scout leader for a troop of middle school girls.

Like any true endeavor, I've had my complaints. They involve the following: disseminating information to twelve teenagers, attending boring leaders' meetings, filling out paperwork and turning said paperwork in on time. That's really about it.

Here are the things I have loved and will miss: talking with the girls, learning about them, laughing with them, introducing them to new things and watching them grow. Basically, all my time with them has been super.

Through them and through everything I have done with them, I have grown into the person I am. They have shaped me in a way which they will probably never know. I love them all and will miss them immensely. When I realized earlier today that this would be our last actual meeting, I cried and I cried a lot. In leaving my Girl Scouts through this move to Virginia, I am leaving more than a volunteer orgainization. I am leaving a huge portion of my life. I am leaving a group of young friends, some of whom have come to be more like family members.

To any of my girls who read this: thank you and please, please stay in touch.