My New Name

The best thing happened in the last week, and I really wanted to share, but first a little bit of preamble.

You see because I have a new role at School, I finish thirty minutes earlier and because I finish thirty minutes earlier, it means I can get to Rainbows before it starts (especially if I leave work on time!). With things happening in other leaders lives, it meant that the Rainbows unit attached to the Brownies unit I'm a Brown Owl at needed an extra pair of hands and somehow I volunteered myself.

Firstly, I want to lay the blame on Top Ender as it was her who four years ago who started volunteering as a Young Leader in the Girl Guides and three years ago, was helping out at Rainbows and Brownies and two years ago gave me the puppy dog eyes meaning I felt I should volunteer to stop the Brownies unit from having to close because there weren't enough leaders.

I'm so pleased that she got me involved. That she used her pester power for good.

Just like her, I love being with the girls. I love hearing their stories and watching them roll their eyes when I tell them the silly little stories that I save up for them each week. They pretend that they hate my stories, that they hate my jokes and that they are embarrassed for me. I know it's not true though.

I know that they love me and I've had plenty of the parents tell me how the children go home each week and excitedly repeat the stories and jokes that I've told them. That they mention my name in prayers and chat about me as if I'm a friend from school instead of a grown-up they see once a week.

So I know that when I shared with the Brownies what my new Rainbow name was that they, despite their moans and groans and eye-rolls that secretly they loved it as much as I know you will love it too.

I could have picked any kind of Bear. I could have been Brown Bear to make it easier for the girls who move up to the Brownies unit I volunteer at. I could have been Pizzly or Panda or Shakes or Thread or Cad-Beary! Instead, I picked one that I had loved ever since Top Ender picker her Gummy Bear name three years ago.

I present to you, the newest Rainbow leader:

Build-a Bear.

Now, I've just got to stop laughing every time one of the children call me!