Trumpet of the Swan

 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. ~Psalm 139:14 KJV

My friend posted a picture this week of a swan walking around Lake Junaluska, NC. Its majestic swagger was evident even in a still photo. I wondered if he was looking for a mate or a place to show her for a nest. 

I follow the Wonderfilled Days blog, and though I no longer teach or homeschool or even have children at home, I love reading her explorations and connections to children's literature. Part of her email this week was about The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. She brought to the reader's attention that at the end of most chapters Sam, posed a question, a thought provoking question. 

    "I don't know of anything in the entire world more wonderful to look at than a nest with eggs in it. An egg because it contains life is the most perfect thing there is. It is beautiful and mysterious. An egg is a finer thing than a tennis ball or a cake of soap. A tennis ball will always be just a tennis ball. A cake of soap will always be just a cake of soap until it gets so small nobody wants it and they throw it away, an egg will someday be a living creature."

~The Trumpet of the Swan

We value so many things, our grandmother's china cabinet, or our dad's '67 Mustang. We value the home run baseball signed by our favorite player and the concert tickets from that special night, but how valuable is a life? Tennis balls, fragrant soap, china, cars, signed balls, and tickets are just stuff, even those with memories attached are still just stuff, but an egg, any egg, is life itself. It will grow and transform into that beautiful cygnet, a bluebird, a salamander, or a platypus. Watching a mother robin tend her nest and seeing the newly hatched chicks is one of my favorite childhood memories. But these are not the only eggs that contain life. 

We may not be able to see a horse's egg or our dog's egg, or even a goat's egg, but they all originate from an egg. Nor can we see the human egg inside the mother's womb, but it is there growing with God forming the little person's every detail. He creates each human with love and a purpose. Whether there is only one child or twenty, whether the child is born into a family or adopted, a child is still created with purpose and loved by God. 

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. ~Psalms 128:3-5

So much is happening to destroy the lives of our children physically, mentally, and spiritually. The swan builds a nest six feet wide to lay her eggs and protect her cygnets. The cob (male swan) swims close by, guarding her and the young. Like swans, we need strong homes with watchful fathers and mothers who "fuss" over us.  I pray we watch carefully over our children from conception to their flight from our nests. 

Even when we read to our children, be aware. There's a tricky spot near the end of Trumpet of the Swans where the dad sacrifices the freedom of one of his children for his and the mother's freedom. I was shocked as I read this obscure passage near the end. I was shocked to see such great love and parenting end up in a sacrifice of convenience. 

Father, give us a new heart for children and families. Help us guard them against Satan's entanglements and create a home where the wonders of the Lord and His salvation are shared daily. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Hey Kids: 

Have you read The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White? Perhaps you have had it read to you. 

Did you notice the questions Sam thought of each night? 

He wrote them in a journal by his bed and pondered them as he went to sleep each night.

When he wondered about eggs, he also wondered how the bird knew how to build a nest. 

Take some time to go outside and watch as spring brings new life. Watch as the birds and insects, and other animals prepare homes for new life. 

Create a journal for your observations and questions. Add drawings or paste pictures. 

Ask for help finding literature about your questions. Add quotes from the literature or Bible verses that support your observations and questions.

Wonder at the wonderful world God has created for us to enjoy and teach us of His great love. 

  

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead,  

~Matthew 28:5-7

Easter 1960- Grandma and Mama sewed our Easter outfits. Mama purchased hats and gloves for herself and me. Everything is ironed and laid out for Sunday morning. Only the Easter baskets are left to prepare. 

Mama brought out the vinegar and dye tablets, a coffee cup for each tablet, a spoon, and an old towel. Leftover baskets with fresh plastic grass were placed on the table beside the towel. The Easter bunny didn't leave our baskets. We helped dye the eggs in stinky-colored vinegar. Excitedly, we balanced the hard-boiled eggs on our spoons and dipped them in the cups. The dye kit contained a wax pencil to draw designs before we dyed the eggs. Gently, we lifted the eggs from the cups and placed them on the towel to dry. Then we decorated our baskets with eggs and candy wrapped in colored foils. But never were we told anything about how eggs were related to Easter. 

Easter 1983-  My small children and I often visited my grandma, who was nearing 90. A discussion came up about dying eggs with my babies. Somehow, we worked around to the subject of what eggs have to do with Easter. I had no idea, and she was shocked. 

"Why, the shell represents the tomb!" surprised no one had taught me that. "There's unseen life inside an egg. When it's ready, the chick will burst forth like the resurrection." 

Well, that made perfect sense. Why hadn't I even thought of that? Of course, our hard-boiled eggs had no life left in them, but a fresh egg certainly could, especially the farm eggs Grandma was used to gathering. 

There are several ideas as to the origins of colored eggs and spring celebrations. We too can derive some meaning for today's children. So what can we say about Easter eggs? 

• Fresh eggs encapsulate life with the appearance of death, just as the tomb in death held the answer to eternal life in Jesus.
• Eggs need 3 weeks to hatch. Jesus lay 3 days in the grave before his resurrection.
• The hatchling uses its beak to crack the shell and come out. Jesus used his voice to call Lazarus from the tomb.  A great earthquake and angels announced Jesus's resurrection.  One day, His voice will call us from the grave as well.  
• Easter eggs are dyed or painted in a variety of colors. Jesus died for everyone of every color. 
• We hunt for eggs hidden all around. Jesus goes wherever people are found to bring salvation to those who will believe in Him.
• We gather the eggs in a basket. Jesus will gather us one day and take us to our heavenly home. Until then, we gather in our churches to worship the One who has overcome death and the grave.

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ~Romans 10:9

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for sending reminders all around me that you are the giver of life eternal through Jesus.  Help me remember to tell the children that You are the Creator God and that everything and everyone is created with a purpose. May my heart and life be filled with worship this Easter season.  In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.

R is for Risen

 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

~Matthew 28:6

I love alphabet books. They often offer so much information on a subject, but usually the information is a mishmash of things so the author can get the information to match the alphabet. Not so with author Crystal Bowman's new book, R is for Risen. The book is written with rhythm and rhyme that will keep the little one's attention. 

Mrs. Bowman's new book is centered around the week's events leading up to the crucifixion and on through the resurrection with instructions for the future. It begins with A is for Arrived. Jesus arrived with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. B is for Branches. This page is about the palm branches laid in the street and the announcement of the King's arrival. Each page is sweetly illustrated to attract young children. Each letter represents the next event in the holy week. 

The ending of the book helps children understand that N is for Nails is not the end of the story. Mrs. Bowman takes us through T is for Tomb and U is for Understanding. The disciples needed to understand what had happened with the resurrection. Last of all Z is for A and Z because Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Each page has scripture to support the story. Several versions are used to make the understanding as simple as possible. 

Ways we can use this book with our children:

• Help children understand the events of Holy Week
• Use of the alphabet to help remember those events.
• Sing "Jesus Loves Me"
• Memorize John 3:16
• Older children may research why Jesus chose a donkey instead of a horse.
• Take a trip to a farm that has donkeys. What do you notice about the donkey's coat? (the shape of the cross)
• What other "letters" are often used for beginning and ending? 

Heavenly Father, help us show our children your plan to bring us salvation. Help us know how to implant the events into their hearts and minds so your plan will never depart from them. In Jesus's name. Amen.

What Makes a Rainbow?

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ~Deuteronomy 6:7

What beautiful days we have had this week. The winds of March are calming, and April showers have begun. I want to get outside, put my feet in the grass and my hands in the dirt. I want to cherish the blooms in the flower beds. I want to walk among the apple trees and smell the sweet fragrance. We walk among a rainbow every day, often without realizing it. But when those April showers come, and the sun shines through the droplets, we still stop in awe. We point. We take pictures. We ask our friends, "Did you see that rainbow yesterday?" Little children are even more mesmerized. I wanted to share What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Schwartz and offer some ideas for using it with your youngest children.

A rainbow is God's promise to mankind after the flood that He would never destroy the earth by flood again. We still have horrible floods, but not one that covers the whole earth. Can you imagine how the earth was renewing itself after the flood? Springtime was bursting forth with hope everywhere.  Mrs. Schwartz's book also bursts forth with the colors of spring. At the top of each page is a ribbon with a color of the rainbow. The page is filled with things we see every day with that color. The first page is red, and the page has a red ladybug, strawberries, and a flower with red petals. Each page is the next color of the rainbow with large kid friendly illustration. The last page opens up with a pop-up rainbow with a sun. The mother bunny declares that now Little Rabbit knows what makes a rainbow - rain and sunshine. Though God is not mentioned, you as the parent, have a great opportunity to teach about the flood and God's grace. You also might use some or all of the suggestions below to help your child(ren) understand rainbows and colors.

• On a warm day, spray the water hose while the children run through. Point out the rainbow the water and sunshine create. Name the colors. Move the water and try again. Do the colors always line up the same way? 
• Help young children learn to identify colors by pointing out the things they see around them, both inside and outside, that match the colors in the book and in the rainbow they see in the water.
• Paint a rainbow. Pick up the 3 primary colors (red, yellow, blue), a paint brush, and a paint pad at the dollar store. Use a spray bottle to wet a piece of paper. (A little squirt on the child will bring giggles and get attention for the activity.) Pour the paint in little puddles on a foam plate. Help the child make a red arch at the top of the paper. Then, choose the yellow and make another arch close enough for the yellow to blend into the bottom of the red. Now the blue paint next to the yellow. Help the child see the new colors that the mixing makes. Finally, add red again under the blue. 
• Roy G Biv It's a little hard to see the indigo in the rainbow, but your older children may be able to distinguish it. Oh, R red, O orange, Y yellow, G green, B blue, I indigo, V violet. 
• Make the activities fun and fun of giggles. It shouldn't look like teaching. It's sharing memorable moments with your child. 

Heavenly Father, help us enjoy sharing your creation with our children. Help us show them what a wonderful God you are. Help us make memories with our children that will last a lifetime. In Jesus's name. Amen