What is a Little Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity
of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy.
Boys come in assorted sizes, weights and colours,
but all boys are the same. Boys are found everywhere
-- on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on,
swinging from, running around or jumping to.

Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older
brothers and sisters tolerate them, adults ignore
them and Heaven protects them.

A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a
cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair
and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

When you want him to make a good impression,
his brain turns to jelly, or else he becomes a savage,
sadistic jungle creature bent on destroying the world.

A boy is a composite -- he has the appetite of a horse,
the digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of an
atom bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator,
the shyness of a violet and when he makes something,
he has five thumbs on each hand.

A boy is a magical creature -- you can lock him out of
your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart.
Might as well give up -- he is your captor, your jailer,
your boss and your master -- a freckled face, pint size,
cat chasing bundle of noise.

But when you come home at night with only the shattered
pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like
new with the two magic words, "HI, DAD!"

~Alan Beck~
(ca. 1954)

Thank God for Kids

If it weren't for kids, have you ever thought
There wouldn't be a Santa Claus
Or look what the stork just brought
Thank God for kids.

And we'd all live in a quiet house
Without Big Bird or a Mickey Mouse
And Kool-Aid on the couch
Thank God for kids.

Thank God for kids
There's magic for a while
A special kind of sunshine in a smile
Do you ever stop to think or wonder why
The nearest thing to Heaven is a child?

"Teacher, how does this thing fly?"
And a hundred other wheres and whys
You really don't know, but you try
Thank God for kids.

Thank God for kids
There's magic for awhile
A special kind of sunshine in a smile
Do you ever stop to think or wonder why
The nearest thing to Heaven is a child?

When you get down on your knees tonight
To thank the Lord for His guiding light
And pray things turn out right
Thank God for kids.

~Eddy Raven~

Children Learn What They Live

If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,
He learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.

If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.

~Dorothy Law Nolte~

When I'm An Old Lady

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with my son,
And make his life happy and filled with such fun.
I want to pay him back all the joy he's provided,
Returning each deed. Oh, he'll be so excited!

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son,
I'll write on the walls with red, white and blue and
Bounce on the furniture, wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets, and oh, will he shout!

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When he's on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, he'll snap his fingers and then shake his head,
And when he is done, I'll hide under the bed.

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When my son's wife cooks dinner and calls me to meals,
I'll not eat my green beans or salads congeal.
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when she gets angry, run fast as I'm able.

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
I'll sit close to the TV, thru the channels I'll click.
I'll cross both my eyes to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day.

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
And later, in bed, I'll lay back and sigh
And thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
And my son will look down with a smile slowly creeping
And say with a groan, "she's so sweet when she's sleeping."

. . .when I'm an old lady and live with my son.

©Copyright April 1991 -- Joanne Bailey Baxter, Lorain , OH

The Difference

God grant me the SERENITY to
accept the things I cannot change.
COURAGE to change the things I can
and WISDOM to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

~Reinhold Neibuhr~