1. Would you write your name among the stars
Then write it large upon
The hearts of children.
They will remember!
Have you visions of a nobler, happier World?
Tell the children!
They will build it for you.

2. Last night my little boy confessed to me
Some childish wrong;
And kneeling at my knee,
He prayed with tears--
"Dear God, make me a man
Like Daddy--wise & strong;
I know you can."

Then while he slept
I knelt beside his bed,
Confessed my sins,
And prayed with low-bowed head.
"O God, make me a child
Like my child here--
Pure, guileless,
Trusting Thee with faith sincere."
--Andrew Gillies

3. A six-year-old came home from school one day with a note from his teacher in which it was suggested that he be taken out of school as he was "too stupid to learn". His name: Thomas Alva Edison.

4. If you have a boy who just can't learn in your class, don't despair. He may be a late bloomer. It has now come out that Dr. Wernher von Braun, the missile & satellite expert, flunked math & physics in his early teens.

5. Children are today's investment & tomorrow's dividend.

6. Children are natural mimics. They act like their parents in spite of all our attempts to teach them good manners.

7. Little girls are one of the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angel-shine about them; & though it wears thin sometimes, there is always enough left to lasso your heart, even when they're sitting in the mud, or crying temperamental tears, or parading the street in mother's best clothes.

8. Socrates said, "Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice & proclaim--fellow-citizens, why do ye turn & scrape every stone to gather wealth, & take so little care of your chill, to whom one day you most relinquish it all?"

9. Dr. James Dobson, a child development specialist, says that children are sometimes permanently harmed by people's attitudes towards their looks. Even at age 3 or 4, children can tell if they are beautiful or ugly. One of his patients was a 36-year-old man who told him: "I was 5 years old when I realized I was ugly, & I've never been the same since."
Unhappily, most people treat children as they were beauty contest contestants, giving warmth & praise to the good-looking & ridiculing or neglecting the fat, skinny, or whatever child. The result for the latter is lifelong self-doubt & feelings of worthlessness. Nicknames like "Bucky Beaver", "Pee Wee" or "Birdlegs" can cause harm for life. Instead of exalting beauty, brains or accomplishment, the specialist urges adults to teach children to emphasize virtues such as diligence, patience & honesty.
"It's tough to buck the values of society as it is now." Dr. Dobson admitted, "but teaching a child spiritual values is at least a good place to start."

10. Newspaper columnist Abigail Van Buren has composed a "Parent's Prayer" in which she stresses the practical side of raising children. Says "Dear Abby":
"Oh, heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, & to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me. May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction or to show my power.
"Let me not tempt my child to lie or steal. And guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say & do that honesty produces happiness.
"Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. And when I am out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue.
"May I ever be mindful that my children are children & I should not expect of them the judgment of adults.
"Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves & to make decisions.
"Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their reasonable requests, & the courage to deny them privileges I know will do them harm.
"Make me fair & just & kind. And fit me, Oh Lord, to be loved & respected & imitated by my children. Amen."

11. A little girl can be sweeter (& badder) oftener than anyone else in the World. She can jitter around, & stomp, & make funny noises that frazzle your nerves. Yet just when you are about to scold, she stands there demure with that special look in her eyes.

12. A girls is innocence playing the the mud, beauty standing on its head, & motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.

13. Juvenile delinquency is a situation that results when parents do not get to the seat of the problem.

14. A perfect example of minority rule is a baby in the house.

15. 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 approval
He learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance & friendship
He learns to find love in the world.
by Dorothy Law Nolte

16. I'm not too young to sin.
I'm not too young to die,
I'm not too little to begin
A life of faith & joy.

I'm not too young to know
The Saviour's love for me
In coming down to earth below
To die upon the tree.

I'm not too young to love,
I'm not too young to pray,
To look to Jesus up above
And all His Word obey.

Jesus, I love Thy name;
From evil keep me free,
And ever hold Thy little lamb
Who puts his trust in Thee.

17. God borrows from many creatures to make a little girl. He uses the song of a bird, the squeal of a pig, the stubbornness of a mule, the antics of a monkey, the spryness of a grasshopper, the curiosity of a cat, the slyness of a fox, the softness of a kitten, & to top it all off, He adds the mysterious mind of a woman.

18. A baby is Mama's little yelper.

19. People who say they sleep like a baby undoubtedly don't have one.

20. A rich man died & left no heirs. When his household goods were auctioned off, an elderly lady dressed in shabby garments was the only one to bid on the picture of the dead man's son. It had been greatly cherished by the wealthy father because his only child had died at an early age. But the crowd that had gathered for the sale showed no interest in it. When the woman who bought the portrait was asked why she wanted it, she said she had been the boy's nurse many years before, & had loved him dearly.
Later she examined the picture closely & noticed a bulge in the heavy paper on the back. Making a small cut, she removed an envelope which turned out to be the man's missing will. The document very clearly stated that he wanted to leave his property to the person who still held dear the memory of his beloved son.

21. Some parents being with giving in & end with giving up.

22. By the time some parents get around to putting a foot down, the child already has his on the accelerator.

23. Just yesterday it seems my children
Played upon the floor
And I wiped countless fingerprints
From window pane & door.

I kissed away a thousand tears
And darned sock after sock
And tried to keep pace with the hands
That raced around the clock.

And often when at end of day,
Too tired to sleep, in bed I lay,
I'd think how nice when, children grown,
My time again should be my own.

So now I sit & rock alone,
My hands at rest, the work all done;
No little tots upon the floor,
No fingerprints upon the door.

No socks to mend, bruises to kiss--
Ah me! How could I know I'd miss
The very things I grudged to do
Dear God, if only there might be
Someone again who needed me!

24. Teacher to mother about her child: "Don't believe everything he tells you about me & I won't believe everything he tells me about you."

25. A five-year-old girl in the Andean mountain area of South America was carrying her baby brother on her back. A tourist asked her, "Isn't he heavy?" "No," she answered, "he's my brother."

26. When a child is old enough to know that he has sinned, that child is old enough to know that he needs to be saved.

27. I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day;
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved & yielded at my will.

I came again when days were past,
The form I gave it still it bore,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power & art,
A young child's soft & yielding heart.

I came again when days were gone;
It was a man I looked upon,
He still that early impress bore,
And I could change it never more.

28. It is good to remember that Washington was one of ten children, John Wesley of twenty-one children, Shakespeare one of eight, Sir Walter Scott one of eleven, Benjamin Franklin was the tenth, Lyman Beecher, father of Harriet Beecher-Stowe, was one of thirteen & the most puny baby of them all. Tennyson was one of twelve, & Catherine of Siena one of twenty-two.

29. I'd like to tell you of my son,
He's quite a rowdy lad,
And he left, scolded, for school today.
'Cause he'd been acting bad.

I've asked the Lord to help me see
And learn the secrets why
At times he acts just like he does .
--I really want to try!

It seems his thoughts so distant
That I don't have a chance,
To try to bring him down to Earth.
--It seems he's in a trance!

But at his age, now don't you think,
He ought to comb his hair?
Or wash his face?
Or brush his teeth?
Without my being there!?

Yet, Lord, he's really reaching out
And wants to learn it all.
Each day he lives excites him so,
--All life awaits his call!

He seeks out mysteries, one by one,
And each one gives him pleasure!
Has he unlocked Pandora's box,
Or opened Heaven's treasure?

It takes real faith to trust God's Word,
That, if his heart we'll train,
And teach him in the way to go,
He'll not depart!--We claim!

So as he journeys day by day
To test all that he's heard,
We'll go ahead, prepare the trail,
And mark it with God's Word!

It's 5 o'clock, I hear him now,
His greeting has me floored!
"Mom, guess what? My class got saved!
I led them to the Lord!"

30. If you don't firmly program your children's minds with truth, someone else will do so with half-truth, untruth, & unimportant truth.

31. A judge who has been involved in a great many family cases said: "We adults spend far too much time preparing the path for our youth & far too little time preparing our youth for the path."

32. At four they know all the questions; at fourteen they know all the answers.

33. I went to do some evaluation of a teacher of kindergarten kids--at the teacher's request. For the fifty minutes I was there this teacher tried to lecture. Finally, the bell rang, & she cranked out the memory verse. Afterwards she sighed, "Boy, I got over the lesson."
When she came to see me, I said to her, "Did it ever occur to you that you're really competing against the Holy Spirit?"
"I certainly don't intend to do that."
"But did it ever occur to you that God made this child with an attention span of about four to five minutes? And all the time you kept saying to the child, 'keep quiet,' 'sit still' & God kept saying, 'Wiggle.' And what did he do? He listened to God every time."
About 85% of the discipline problems in school, in church, in home, come because we do not understand the pupil with whom we are working.

34. Some years ago in the state of New York, there was a poor little outcast girl by the name of Mag, just like any one of myriads in all the country round about. How much do you suppose it would have taken to have saved her? How much money? How much human service? It was not expended. She sank into vice.
Seventy years passed, & somebody who knew that Mag went bad tried to find out what had been some of the results of her badness. They found she had had 1,200 descendants in the seventy years. They found that, as far as known, 280 of these were paupers & 148 were criminals. They found positive proof that her descendants, by their vices, had cost the State $1,308,000.
If she had been saved, with an expenditure of ten, twenty five or a hundred dollars, don't you think it would have been good economy financially? Was there ever greater folly from a financial standpoint than to let Mag go down?

35.With the young mother busy elsewhere in the house, the father had undertaken the task of feeding little Becky in her highchair. The sloppy procedure went along about as expected, & after various starts, half-starts & accidents, he finally called out to his wife, "Becky just finished the strained prunes, but I think she wants some more. Should I give her a second coat?"

36. Perhaps parents would enjoy their children more if they stopped to realise that the film of childhood can never be run through for a second showing.

37. In the early French revolution, the schoolboys of Bourges, from twelve to seventeen years of age, formed themselves into a Band of Hope. They wore a uniform, & were taught to drill. On their holidays, their flag was unfurled, displaying in shining letters the sentence, Tremblez, Tyrans, Nous Grandirons! (Tremble, Tyrants, we shall grow up!) May we hear the shout of confidence & courage, uttered by the young Christians of today, as they say, "Tremble, O enemy, we are growing up for God!"

38. His mind's a flying saucer
His room a satelloid.
His words are from a glossary
An Einstein would avoid.

He's quite adept in rocketry.
He knows the names of stars.
He's forsworn Davy Crockettry
To plan a trip to Mars.

He boldly deals in distancy.
Fine spacemenship's his mark,
With just one inconsistency--
He's frightened of the dark.

39. If both horse & mare trot, the colt will not amble.

40. A child is your second chance.

41. Great ideas & fine principles do not live from generation to generation just because they are good, nor because they have been carefully legislated. Ideals & principles continue from generation to generation only when they are built into the hearts of children as they grow up. (Dr. George S. Benson)

42. While reviewing Jam.4:8, Joy, age 3, quoted, "Draw a line to God & he will draw a line to you."

43. The best inheritance a parent can give to his children is a few minutes of his time each day.

44. All anybody expects of an adolescent is that he act like an adult & be satisfied to be treated like a child.

45. People who handle other people's money are required to account for every cent. Are children less valuable?

46. Jesus put a child in the midst; others put him in the basement.

47. Child by child we build our nation.

48. One reason for juvenile delinquency is that many parents are raising their children by remote control.

49. All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?

50. The kind of person your child is going to be, he is already becoming.

51.I think ofttimes as the night draws nigh
Of an old house on the hill,
Of a yard all wide & blossom-starred
Where the children played at will.
And when the night at last came down,
Hushing the merry din,
Mother would look around & ask,
"Are all the children in?"

"Tis many & many a year since then,
And the old house on the hill
No longer echoes to childish feet,
And the yard is still, so still.
But I see it all as the shadows creep,
And though many the years have been,
Even now, I can hear my mother ask,
"Are all the children in?"

I wonder if, when the shadows fall
On the last short, earthly day,
When we say goodbye to the world outside,
All tired with our childish play,
When we step out into that Other Land
Where mother so long has been,
Will we hear her ask, as we did of old, "Are all the children in ?"

And I wonder, too, what the Lord will say,
To us older children of His,
Have we cared for the lambs? Have we showed them the fold?
A privilege joyful it is.
And I wonder, too, what our answers will be,
When His loving questions begin:
"Have you heeded My voice? Have you told of My love?
Have you brought My children in?"

52. Mohammed Ali summed it up neatly during his Friday visit at Children's Hospital in Newington, Conn., when he said, "What I like about the children is: Kids are exiles from Heaven. You can see God in children because they haven't had a chance to come into evil. That's why the first thing they do when they come onto Earth is cry."

53. Campbell Morgan, the famous preacher, says: "When but eight years old I preached to my little sister & to her dolls arrayed in orderly form before me. My sermons were Bible stories which I had first heard from my mother."

54. Childhood is like a mirror which reflects in later life the images presented to it.

55. Nothing is too good for the child.

56. Children are poor men's riches.

57. Let every father & mother realise that when their child is three years of age, they have done more than half they will ever do for its character.

58. Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.

59. Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever-fresh & radiant possibility.

60. Many a boy is the kind of kid his mother tells him not to play with.

61. Think not that he is all too young to teach,
His little heart will like a magnet reach
And touch the truth for which you have no speech.

62. In vacation Bible school little four-year-old Mary insisted on placing her hand on the top of her head while the group said the pledge to the American flag. When her teacher asked her why she did this she replied:
"Well, that's where my heart is. Mother always puts her hand on the top of my head & says, 'Bless your little heart, Mary.'"

63. The Sunday school teacher asked a little girl if she knew who Matthew was. The answer was no. The teacher then asked if she knew who John was. Again the answer was "no". Finally the teacher asked if she knew who Peter was.
She answered: "I think he was a rabbit."

64. Money can build a house, but it takes love to make it a home.

65. Six-year-old Bobby's report card showed excellent marks except in deportment.
"Bobby," said his mother, "the teacher has a note attached that says you were a little boisterous."
"Well," answered Bobby. "It would have been a bit hard to be girlsterous!"

66. Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.

67. A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

68. Our children need our presence more than our presents.

69. For parents to see a child grow up without Christ is a far greater dereliction of duty than for the parents to have children who grow up without learning to read or write.

70. It is emphatically not a Christian duty to let a child "make up its own mind" without first informing, guiding & encouraging him.

71. Godly parents do not inflict upon their children the cruelty of telling them that they should do "just as they please".

72. Little Susan, four years old, returned from sunday School with her offering money.
"Why didn't you give your money in the offering today, dear?" her mother asked.
"Because our teacher told us that if we love Jesus He comes & lives in our hearts. And you told me never to put money in my mouth. So I didn't know what to do. If I gave my money to Jesus I would have to swallow it."

73. If you make children happy now, you will make them happy twenty years hence by the memory of it.

74. The soul of a child is the loveliest flower
That grows in the garden of God.
Its climb is from weakness to knowledge & power,
To the sky from the clay & the clod.

To beauty & sweetness it grows under care,
Neglected, "tis ragged & wild.
'Tis a plant that is tender, but wondrously rare,
The sweet, wistful soul of a child.

Be tender, O gardener, & give it its share
Of moisture, of warmth, & of light,
And let it not lack for the painstaking care,
To protect it from frost & from blight.

A glad day will come when its bloom shall unfold,
It will seem that an angel has smiled,
Reflecting a beauty & sweetness untold
In the sensitive soul of a child.

75. God wants the boys, the merry, merry boys
The noisy boys, the funny boys,
The thoughtless boys;
God wants the boys with all their joys,
That He as gold may make them pure,
And teach them trials to endure;
His heroes brave, He'd have them be,
Fighting for truth & purity.
God wants the boys!

God wants the happy-hearted girls,
The loving girls, the best of girls,
The worst of girls;
God wants to make the girls His pearls,
And so reflect His holy face,
And bring to mind His wondrous grace,
That beautiful the world may be,
And filled with love & purity,
God wants the girls!

76. Howard Maxwell of Los Angeles had a four-year-old daughter, Melinda, who had acquired a fixation for "David & Goliath" & demanded that he read it to her night after night. Mr. Maxwell, pleased with himself, tape-recorded the story. When Melinda next asked for it, he simply switched on the playback. This worked for a couple of nights, but then one evening Melinda pushed the storybook at her father. "Now honey," he said, "you know how to turn on the recorder."
"Yes," said Melinda, "but I can't sit on its lap."

77. He is just seven years old.
He is made up of the following ingredients:
Noise, energy, imagination, curiosity & hunger.
He is the "cute little fellow down the street,"
"That spoiled important next door," or "My son,"
Depending upon who you are.
He is something to be kept, fed, clothed, healthy, happy & out of trouble
BUT...
He is something else, too.
He is tomorrow.
He is the future we are working for:
He is part of the World's most important generation.
Our generation must love them & win them.
His generation will determine whether it was worth doing.
He is one of the most important people in history.
SO...
Anyone who influences his life is also a mighty important person.

78. His trousers are torn, rolled up to the knee;
A hole in his shirt which he caught on a tree;
But I see a soul for whom Jesus has died,
Clothed in His righteousness, pressed to His side.

I see not labor & hours of prayer
Spent for that freckled-faced naughty boy there,
But I see a Saviour with arms open wide,
Waiting in heaven to take him inside.

I see not freckles, but man fully grown,
A heart filled with God's Word I've carefully sown,
A life speaking forth for the Saviour each day,
O Lord, for this boy I most earnestly pray.

I see not his mischief, but energy bent,
Put to the task where the Lord wants it spent;
O God, make this lively, mischievous boy
A power for Thee, to Thy heart great joy.

79. What a sweet good morning wake-up!
Or is it but a dream instead?
--When one hour after the other
Children crawl into my bed!

With smiles they hug & greet us,
And cuddle snugly near
Then I am, oh, so thankful
This time I have them here!

Who cares for time in private,
To be away & all alone?
Though I'll admit, that more than once I've wished for elbow room.

O Lord, please do forgive me!
--It took me time to see,
That all these precious children
Are Your sweet Love for me!

Sometimes some people ask me,
"Where's your great career?
You're still out hanging diapers
While the next one's drawing near!"

Then comes the classic question,
You don't plan on having more?!"
It breaks my heart!--They just don't see
The blessing that's in store!

Now I can smile & wonder
How I could once have thought
That walking other pathways
Could bring the joy I've got!

'Cause here in bed this morning
Nestled next to me,
Is all the joy & happiness
I once sought long to see!

80. Sophisticated, worldly-wise,
I searched for God & found Him not,
Until one day, the world forgot,
I found Him in my baby's eyes.
--Mary Afton Thacker

81. Give me a little child to point the way,
Over the strange sweet path that leads to Thee;
Give me the little voice to teach to pray;
Give me two shining eyes Thy face to see.

The only crown I ask, dear Lord, to wear,
Is this: that I may teach a little child.
I do not ask that I may ever stand
Among the wise, the worthy, or the great--
I only ask that softly, hand in hand,
A child & I may enter at the gate.
--C.A. Fields

82. "Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife;
But I would gather children From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.
But oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me!"

83. A builder builded a temple,
He wrought it with grace & skill;
Pillars & groins & arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said, as they saw its beauty,
"It shall never know decay;
Great is thy skill, O Builder!
Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A Teacher builded a temple
With loving & infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer.
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the Teacher builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builder's temple,
Crumpled into the dust;
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust.
But the temple the Teacher builded
Will last while the ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple
Was a child's immortal soul.

84. The question mark & promise & wild possibility that exist in each newborn infant are a reminder to us of that in ourselves which is godlike--godlike in reason, in apprehension, & in vision. It hangs above the cradle like a rainbow. There are magic & mystery in that frail bundle of flesh. He has genius in his tiny head. He can grow & he can learn. The beauty of the World is in his face; he sleeps with the innocence of snow; he rages with the authority of Jove; & his brave little flower of a fist will grow to hold the plow, drive the ships, heal the sick, sway the multitudes, & perhaps even point the way to a happy new World.

85. He's not my boy,
but when his hand
Is held in mine I understand
The problems that he has to face;
I glimpse his goal in life's long race,
And then a thrill akin to joy
Sweeps over me--
He IS my boy.

He's not my boy, he has no dad;
He's just a lonely, little lad
Who'll have to battle all the way.
And so, in trust, if he will lay
His hand in mine, I'll count it joy
To help that lad--
I call my boy.

86. They pass so soon, the days of youth;
The children change so fast:
Quickly they harden in the mould,
And the plastic years are past.

Then shape their lives while they are young;
This be our prayer, our aim--
That every child we meet shall bear
The imprint of His name!
--Martha Snell Nicholson

87. Good manners require a great deal of time, as does wise treatment of children.

88. A little boy's first Bible
Is the greatest thrill he's known.
There's a sweet, unique excitement
In a Bible all his own!

And yet my heart is smitten
As this touching sight I see,
Has his reverence for that Bible
Depended much on me?

As I see him with his Bible,
I bow my head & pray,
May he always love that Bible
The way he does today.

Then I hear a voice within me
Speak in solemn words & true,
How he cherishes that Bible
Will depend a lot on you.

I love my Bible better
Since I've seen the beaming joy
This wonderful possession
Has afforded to my boy.

May I see to give mine daily
A devotion He can see.
For the love he bears his Bible
Will depend a lot on me.

89. Children are a big fulltime job! To be a mother takes the strength of Samson, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the insight of Daniel, the administrative ability of David & also the fight of David. It takes the faith of Abraham, who was the father of faith & the father of the faithful, & most of all it takes the love of God!

90. One day in London, a group of children were feeling the cold & slipped inside a church to get warm. To their surprise, a service soon began, & the vicar arose to read the lesson. "This man (Christ Jesus) receiveth sinners & eateth with them."
After the service, a little girl about 8 years old went up to the vicar.
"Please, sir," she said, "I didn't know my name was in the Bible."
"And what is your name, little girl?" he asked.
"Edith, sir."
"No," he said, "Edith doesn't come in the Bible."
"Oh, yes sir," she replied, "you read this afternoon that this man Christ Jesus receiveth sinners & EDITH with them."

91. I have seed to raise & I plough the field
And I plant my crops with care,
And I thank the Lord for the rain He sends
As I watch them growing there.
But I don't sit down with a book by day,
And let my crops run wild,
For crops won't grow by themselves, I know;
Is it different with a child?
--Edgar A. Guest

92. I am the Child.
All the world waits for my coming.
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance,
For what I am, the world of tomorrow will be.

I am the Child.
You hold in your hand my destiny.
You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me, I pray you, those things that make for happiness.
Train me, I beg you, that I may be a blessing to the World.
--Mamie Gene Cole

93. From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.--2 Timothy 3:15

94. Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.--Galatians 6:9

95. Provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture & admonition of the Lord.--Ephesians 6:4

96. It's like that dear woman who had nine children whom we met when we only had one, & we are marvelled how she could care for nine when one already took all of our time, & the woman answered simply: "That's just it--nine can't take any more!" You think you can't do any more than you're doing already, but you can with the help of God!

97. If you had been in the german city of Hamburg at the time when the cherries were ripe, you would have seen a wonderful sight. Every year at that time there has been a joyous procession of children through the streets carrying branches of cherries laden with ripe fruit. This yearly parade has been held in memory of a great victory over 500 years ago--& this victory was won by Hamburg's children.
It all began when news came to the city of a powerful enemy force moving towards it. The spies who brought the news said that this approaching army was so overwhelming in strength that the citizens would not have sufficient men to oppose it. "They are coming on fast--they will soon be here!" cried the messengers. It seemed as if nothing could be done to prevent an appalling massacre.
Then one of the city magistrates had an inspiration. "Let us ask the children to help us," he suggested. "What is the use of that?" grumbled the other burghers. But the man with the idea gathered all the children together & enlisted their help.
Presently, all dressed in black, the entire population of the city's children streamed out from the city gates. Away they went in a long procession moving towards the oncoming army. At last they came up against the enemy sentries, who were astonished to see them & did not know what to do with them.
"You'd better come to the general, " they decided; & soon the army of children were face to face with the fierce leader of their enemies.
"Why have you come?" he demanded sternly. And the children managed somehow to stammer out their plea for mercy for themselves & their families. The general listened, stony-faced, but in spite of himself his heart was touched, & suddenly he sprang to his feet.
"You have saved your parents' lives," he said. "None of you shall be killed."
Then the delighted children were give a great feast of cherries, for it was the time when they were ripe; & soon they were on their way home to the city they had saved, waving cherry branches & shouting their wonderful news. And that is why the children of Hamburg carry cherry branches in the streets in memory of that great day when they won the victory.

98. A girl is a girl so frilly & sweet
You'd just like to hug her the moment you meet.
She's little pink ruffles & nylon & lace;
She's an innocent look on a little pink face.

She's ice cream & candy & pink birthday cake;
She's also the cookies she helped mother bake.

She's the one perfect nuisance to each little boy,
But she's daddy's own sweetheart, his pride & his joy.
She can pout, she can stomp, she can tease, she can cry,
But still she's his pet, the very apple of his eye.
She's kittens & everything cuddly & nice,
And sure she's a bit of God's own paradise.
--Phyllis C. Michael

99. Suffer little children to come unto me, & forbid them not: for of such is the Kingdom of God...Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.--Luke 18:16,17

100. Dr. Schweitzer, who was known as the Jungle Doctor, used to give music recitals in order to raise money to pay for the hospital he built in the African jungle. Someone decided to include a story about him in a book of hero stories, & asked if he would write a special message to go with it. This is what he wrote:
"Tell the boys & girls that the truths they feel deep down in their hearts are the real truths. God's love speaks to us in our hearts & tries to work through us in the World. We must listen to this voice. We must listen to it as to a pure & distant melody that comes across the noise of the World's doing.s Some say, 'When we are grown up, we will listen. Now while we are young, we would rather think of other things.' But with the voice of Love, with which God speaks to us in the secret places of the heart, God speaks to us when we are young so that our youth may be really youth, & that we may become the children of God. Happy are those who listen."