There is a Green Hill Far Away

 

There is a green hill far away,
Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiv’n,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to Heav’n,
Saved by His precious blood.

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.

O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

~ Cecil Frances Alexander

This song is a wonderful one to teach children on this Good Friday, but then again, to teach them at any day of the year. It was written by Cecil Frances Alexander, and she was a lover of children. Christian Heroes come in many forms and here we have another one. Read more about Mrs. Alexander here.

 
 

"I Will Love You Forever"

This pin we made recently is being repinned like mad and can't you understand why? Last I heard, the Golden Retriever was the most popular breed in our country and it must still be true because the only pin we've made which beats this one insofar as repins is one from a couple of weeks ago of a bunch of gorgeous Golden Retriever older pups being let out of the back of a SUV with the caption "Who Let the Dogs Out?" 

Lets see if there's ever a pin that gets a higher repin count than these two (that is, for SG). And whether it's something that's not one of our beloved best friends. Do you have a pet? Whether it's a dog or something else, I hope your youngsters get many good lessons in love and compassion that can be had in pet ownership. If so, that critter will indeed love you for as long as it has an existence on this earth. And even the sadness and grief of seeing them go is a needful growing experience for your children. 

Smart Dog

Smartest dog in the universe.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Source: almanac.com via Speakable Gifts on Pinterest

I Come to the Garden Alone

I honestly can't think of too many better things these young people could be doing with their time. Lovely harmony.

Sunbeams and Sunshine

King words are like sunbeams

That sparkle as they fall;

And loving smiles are sunshine,

A light of joy to all.

~ Anon.

Needy and Beautiful

At Pinterest we have two boards with various photos of children. One is called "Needy Children" and one is called "Beautiful Children." I have to say that there are some photos I run across where I'm not sure which board to pin them on, and in many of these cases I choose just one even though a particular photo would be appropriate on both. Such was the case with this particular pin. It most certainly would be a pin for the "Needy Children" board but in this case what grabbed me most is how beautiful these two children are. I don't need to elaborate. It's there for you to see.

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net via Speakable Gifts on Pinterest

Leave it to Beaver

 Wikepedia photo

As most of us know, Leave it to Beaver was a situation comedy which aired on regular network TV from 1957 to 1963, which would be roughly six years duration. For a show to last that long on the networks would indicate some measure of success I would say. Lately, we've been watching the series on Antenna TV, a digital TV network (whatever that means) and may I say, thoroughly enjoying it. The thought occurred to me last night that in the day we now find ourselves, I doubt if this show would make it for a month, let alone six years. 

There aren't many spiritual implications in the show's lessons, even though in a recent episode they were all making ready to go to church together. But what a delight to see a father who leads his family, a wife who's really into her husband and kids, parents who are committed to each other and their children (with even a few realistic disagreements thrown in) and young people who refer to their parents and other adults by the terms "sir" and "maam." Seeing Beaver and his classmates responding to their teacher with "Yes, Miss Landers" is music to the ears. I like it that the boys often make wrong choices, and that the consequences for those poor choices come through loud and clear. As put by Wikipedia: "The adult viewer enjoys Beaver's adventures while discovering tips for teaching children correct behavior and methods for successfully handling common childhood problems." So true that is and that is what I like so much about the series.

Although Leave it to Beaver would undoubtedly be considered a fail in today's society, for me, my late evening encounters with the Cleaver family have been a breath of fresh air. I wish you and your family might have opportunity to watch it too, and that your children would find it enjoyable. I think parents would appreciate the many little lessons from the every day family experiences that are there.

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

The Lion and the Mouse

Do you know much about mice? In case you don’t, I will tell you a little bit
about them. Mice are very little animals with long, skinny tails. Some people
think they are cute; many people do not. Actually, mice are rodents. That
means they belong to a family of animals that have front teeth that are quite
strong. In fact, rodents can gnaw hard objects like wood, and their teeth
continue to grow most of their lives. So, you see, the teeth of a mouse are
very useful to him to survive in this world. A mouse is usually quite timid,
though. His teeth help him to live and eat, but he can’t really fight with them
or scare other animals with them because he is so small compared to most
animals. In fact, there are many animals that eat mice.

A lion, on the other hand, can and does scare other animals with his teeth.
You know all about lions, I am sure. You know how scary a lion is. He is even
called “King of the Jungle” because he is so feared.

There was a time, it is said, that a mouse ran across the body of a sleeping
lion by mistake. We do not need to tell you how very afraid the poor tiny
mouse was when the lion woke up and grabbed this shaking little fellow in
his paws. He had every reason to be scared since the lion was about to eat
him. “Please Mr. Lion,” pleaded the mouse, “let me go this time and I will
always remember your kindness. Maybe someday I can pay you back and
help you.”   Well, the lion thought this was so funny that he let his little
captive go.

Wouldn’t you know that It was just a couple of weeks later that the lion got
caught in a huge net which had been left by some hunters. He could not free
himself and began to roar loudly in dismay. Guess who heard him? That’s
right, the little mouse whom he had let go. His little “friend” came running at
the sound of the lion’s roars. The mouse gnawed and gnawed on the ropes
with those strong front teeth and before long the lion was set free and went
home.

~ Retold by M. Randall

(This is our latest Speakable to be posted. Please click on the "Aesop" tab above to take you to the page. So what does this particular fable teach us? Wonderful lessons for our children, as always. I see courage, gratefulness, loyalty, and mercy. You may see even more. Why not let this story teach your kids some of these things? As always with our Speakables, we have suggestions.)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

For your little ones,

Forward March

(From Snoopy Facebook)