The Real Charlie Bear

April 10, 1968

One day little Charlie was out playing in the woods with his friends Pam and Kim, the Bunny Twins. Little Pam leaned over and noticed a beautiful flower. It had yellow petals and was growing close to the ground.

She said, “Little Charlie, do you know what makes the flowers come up in the spring?”

And little Charlie said, “I don’t know. They just come every year. They look beautiful. And then they go away.”

Little Pam said, “Oh, here come some little girls. Let’s ask them.”

As all three children looked up, they saw a whole group of girls dressed like little Brownies. Each girl wore a brown dress and a brown little cap, white socks and neat little shoes. Little Charlie said, “Hi, are you Brownies?”

Little Terri said, “Yes, we are all Brownies. Some day we are all going to grow to be Girl Scouts, but now we are Brownies.”

“Well,” said little Charlie, “we want to know what makes the flowers grow. Do you know?”

Little Terri said, “Why, everyone knows that.”

Little Charlie answered, “Not everybody, because I don’t, and I am somebody.”

Little Terri explained, “Most everybody knows God makes them grow. When it gets warm enough, God says to the little seeds, ‘Break loose and come up and show your pretty heads.’”

“Who is God?” asked little Charlie.

“Everyone knows who God is,” said Terri. “He is the person who is everywhere who takes care of us. He takes care of us in the woods. He takes care of us at home, and He takes care of us everywhere.”

“I don’t know,” said little Charlie. “I guess I will ask Papa when I go back home.”

“Oh, you don’t need to,” said little Terri, “because it is true.”

And with that little Charlie just looked at her and changed the subject. He said, “Well, maybe you can tell us what the Brownies are.”

Little Terri said, “Well, I can tell you that too.” And with that she proceeded to give the whole line of B’s that the Brownies are. “Be discoverers, Be ready helpers, Be friend-makers.”

“Oh, that sounds like you must be just about perfect,” said little Charlie.

Little Terri said, “We may not be perfect, but we sure try.”

Pam and Kim said, “Little Charlie, you know we are Brownies too, but we don’t have our Brownie outfits on all the time when we are in the woods. Sometimes we go down to the town and we join the Brownie troop, and we’re Brownies.”

“You are Brownies?” asked little Charlie.

“Yes,” said little Kim, “lots of little girls are Brownies.”

“I bet that all the little girls you like are Brownies,” said Pam.

“Because Brownies are special,” said little Terri.

“What’s special about you?” asked little Charlie.

“Well, we all try to be good,” said Kim.

Having settled that matter, they ran home to little Charlie Bear’s home where Mama Bear gave them all some Girl Scout Cookies and a glass of milk.