Johnny Appleseed Minute

This Minute is meant for Scouts BSA.

an apple and a core or apple seeds.

A Good Turn is a small thing, but they add up.

(Hold out the apple in one hand and the seeds in the other for all to see.)

If I gave you a choice, which hand would you choose?
Of course, the apple would sure taste good. But, in the mid-1800s there was a fellow that would have taken the tasteless seeds instead. In fact, he was so fastinated with apple seeds that folks called him Johnny Appleseed.
He walked across hundreds of miles of our nation's frontier lands year after year, planting apple trees wherever he could find a likely spot. He continued doing this until he died - it was his life's calling.
The trees that grew from the apple seeds he planted fed thousands of people as our nation expanded and folks spread west. Johnny Appleseed had a vision - he saw that work he did today might have a big impact much later. But, he didn't do great deeds - he didn't build a huge structure, invent new technology, or become a great politician. All he did was plant tiny, simple seeds.
Every time you do a Good Turn you are planting a seed. You are doing just what Johnny Appleseed did - making a tiny difference. Doing that day by day, year after year, as a way of life, will effect thousands of people.
Look out into the world and have a vision of where you want your life to go. But, along the way, make sure you plant a lot of seeds of helpfulness, friendship, courtesy, kindness, and cheerfulness.