What is Guiding?
by
Anne Parke

It's a club for girls from ten to sixteen,
Considered by many the best that there's been.
It's wearing a Uniform, smart and attractive,
It's leading a life that is healthy and active.
It's giving service to others in need,
Controlling oneself in thought, word and deed.
It's camping, exploring, in rain, hail or sun,
It's full of adventure, it's bursting with fun.
It's working together in one's own patrol,
And smiling through hardship when spirits fall.
It's lasted through peacetime, It's lasted through war,
It's membership numbers six million or more.
It's making a promise, a standard for living,
It's sharing and caring, it's loving and giving.
It's doing one's duty to God, Queen and nation,
To the best that one can whatever one's station.
The members assemble in different headquarters,
In mud huts or skyscrapers, across many waters.
In igloos, log cabins and palaces royal,
Each doing her best to be honest and loyal.
It's a life full of promise, with adventure unfurled,
It's a family that's spread all over the world.