Remembering Chris Lay, GSofSI Heart of Gold Recipient
Hello family and friends of Chris Lay,
I am Loretta Graham the very proud CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois.
As we celebrate Chris’s life and as I reminisce about her journey, it is evident that her existence on this earth was nothing short of a song of victory, service, peace, and love! So today we cry but we also sing. Singing around the campfire “Make New Friends.”
Chris Lay was a very dedicated volunteer who earned the prestigious Heart of Gold Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. It is the quiet and unnoticed work she did without praises, day after day, that forms the backbone of our Girl Scout Movement. It is the sacrifice given by Chris to every girl she came in contact with, and it’s these little things, these things that no one notices, that make up the beauty of the life of Chris Lay. Some may wonder why one would devote their time to the Girl Scout organization. They do so because it is more than a troop meeting; it is the long-lasting joy of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make our world a better place.
Let us tell the stories about Chris and speak her name. Tell the stories of how her life intersected ours. Tell about the joys and laughter, and the successes. Tell the ways in which she touched your life and made a difference. Never stop telling the stories. Those stories are not simply words; they create and call forth presence. So, when you tell the stories about Chris, speak not so much with your lips but with your heart. The stories are not just a recollection of past events. They are the never-ending story of Chris’s life.
None of this will end the grief we have today. Instead, it renews our hope and our confidence that there is a way forward. You see, life is far too short, and the love of Chris is far too strong, for death to have the final word. I leave with you the poem, “I Wear the Pin of a Girl Scout.” Chris’s journey on this earth may have come to an end, but her spirit will always be in our heart.
Loretta Graham, CEO
I Wear the Pin of a Girl Scout
I wear the pin of a Girl Scout, I try to live the laws.
I often said the Promise, when life felt only flaws.
But it's not the pin, nor the Promise, nor just the laws I lived.
That cause me to love Girl Scouting, it's the feeling that Girl Scouts give.
You have to live it, to know it, when the sun is sunken down low.
You must sing with other Girl Scouts around the campfire's glow.
You must plan a cookout with them and have it spoiled by the rain.
Sing instead of crying and make the plan again.
You must hike for many miles under a clear blue sky,
And sleep in the open country and watch the stars go by.
There are no words to express it. It cannot be told in a song.
You must experience it. It won't take very long.
It's brought out when you are singing as loud as you can sing.
And again in a peaceful silence, when the flag has taken wings.
Then when you salute Old Glory, you knew that you belong,
for ”Taps” cannot end this feeling, For Girl Scouts are young and strong.
You will want to meet tomorrow in hopes that you can give
and live to pass on the feeling, only Girl Scouting can give!!
