Little Children
Little ears are listening;
Little minds run wild;
Trying to be like Mom or Dad,
Comes natural for a child.
They want to do the things you do,
And say the things you say;
They’re watching and they’re listening,
Even while they play!
So Mom and Dad, be very sure,
You’re always watching too;
To say and do the things that you
Would have your children do.—Lalna Owens
“Let your light so shine” Matthew 5:16
Say It with Flowers
A man can let his wife know he loves her by giving her a dozen long-stemmed roses; his grandson can do the same with a fistful of dandelions.
An Honest Prayer
A little boy was overheard praying:
“Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.
I’m having a real good time like I am.”
“A merry heart doeth good” Proverbs 17:22
My Daddy is Here
David Elkind, the famous child psychologist and author of the best-selling The Hurried Child, tells this true story about his role as a parent:
I remember visiting my middle son’s nursery school class, at the request of his teacher, so that I could observe a “problem child” in the class. It so happened that I was sitting and observing a group of boys, including my son, who sat in a circle nearby.
Their conversation went like this:
Child A: “My daddy is a doctor, and he makes a lot of money, and we have a swimming pool.”
Child B: “My daddy is a lawyer, and he flies to Washington and talks to the president.”
Child C: “My daddy owns a company, and we have our own airplane.”
Then my son (with aplomb, of course): “My daddy is here.”
The most important thing about loving someone is being there for them. And “being there” often literally means being there. No matter what, God will always “be there” for you. — Glenn Hitchcock, Warner Robins, Georgia
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8
One Last Chance
A man never opened the car door for his wife or any other woman. He felt it was a sissy, Emily Post kind of thing to do. “Besides,” he was fond of saying, “she doesn’t have two broken arms.”
After many years of marriage, his wife died and he was heartbroken because he truly loved her. Somehow, as the pallbearers brought her casket out of the funeral service, he and his family reached the hearse in front of them.
The funeral director was back a few feet, so he called him by name and said,
“Open the door for her, will you?” The man reached for the door handle and then, for one second, froze.
He realized he had never opened a car door for her in life. In death would be the first and only time. Years of regret came crashing down.
Lesson: If you love someone—tell them now. If there is a kind deed you can do—do it now. There will be a time when all our tomorrows are yesterdays, and there will be no more chances to do the little things to show our love.—Randall J. Medlin
