Leading the Parade

I served as the divisional Guard and Sunbeam Director of the Southern California division in the 1980s.

Every year we held divisional and regional rallies. One year we marched in a parade in Glendale. The Guards, Sunbeams and their leaders, dressed in perfect uniform, looked great. The Santa Ana Drum Corps joined us and I felt we made quite an impression on the crowd of parade spectators.

Our position in the parade was in the middle. High School Bands, floats and horses marched ahead of us and behind us.  We drew the spot behind a group of horses. The drumming of the High School Band just ahead of the horses and the booming rhythm of our own drum corps made the horses nervous. This dilemma caused problems for our straight lines and polished shoes. A parade official joined me as we marched down the street.

The parade official asked if we could slow down to put space between us and the horses. (I saw no problem with that.) He also explained that the band ahead of the horses would speed up their pace. He hoped the space would help calm down the horses. I appreciated the advantages the distance would provide for our group.

We slowed down as instructed and gave our attention to the crowds. We straightened our lines and enjoyed the rest of the parade. That is until the horses exited the parade. Suddenly I realized that I was leading the parade and did not have the slightest idea where to go. (Since I was in the middle of the parade, leading my own group, I do not see the need to know where we were going. I only needed to know who we were following.)

I bravely led the parade for three more blocks hoping to see some sign or someone in authority to give us instructions. The crowd thinned and I took that as my cue that the parade must end soon. I decided we should go one more block and turn off to the left. As we began our turn, a parade official waved us on and yelled:  “Go two more blocks.”  We aborted the left turn and managed to reconstruct some order and continue to the designated end.

When I reflect on this funny day, I draw some conclusions about serving in The Salvation Army. When we are just starting out, the most important thing to remember is:  follow the leader. Keep your lines straight and follow the group ahead of you. The drum beat of your group may drown out all the rest. We concentrate on where we are stepping, how we are stepping and what we are stepping over so much that we may lose track of what is happening to the groups ahead of us. At some point those people exit the parade. Without warning we could end up leading the parade.

A few years ago I began to realize that many of the soldiers, local officers and officers, who led the parade when I first joined, have exited the parade. The line ahead of me is growing shorter. Many of my mentors and the leaders I looked up to are now standing in the crowd waving and cheering on the parade.

It is the way of life. The "lesson learned” I prepare myself daily. I keep in contact with the Parade Coordinator and His Parade Officials. Whenever I am in doubt about the parade route, I look for His face and march forward.

By Debi Bell