Category Archives: Rhymes For Kids

Tony Funderburk’s rhymes and reasons to help you understand the power of God’s love. For kids from 1 to 101.

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

What’s a healing touch?

First, I’ll tell you what it isn’t. A healing touch isn’t like what you see in the movies…where someone gets struck by lightning and suddenly they can touch people and cure diseases. A healing touch isn’t about making miracles happen wherever you go. It isn’t about you. It isn’t about me. And it isn’t really even about physical healing.

Healing touch can happen even without any physical touch. Has anyone ever “touched your heart” in a meaningful, lasting way? Well, did they actually touch your heart? Or wasn’t it actually a feeling you had inside?

Personally I’m not looking to be healed of all my physical problems. I don’t believe that’s a wise use of time. But I’m always looking for people who offer themselves up as a healing touch to their fellow human beings. And I’d like to think I have done and will continue to do that, too. There’s a place in the Bible where we’re told to “love your neighbor as yourself”. You don’t have to even believe in the Bible to know that’s a good way to be. So go and be a…

Healing Touch

From breath to breath
And heart to heart
Go share your gifts
And be the start
Of something good
And something pure
A noble cause
Steadfast and sure.
With lovely things
And lots of praise
To light up lives
And brighten days
Give good account
When life is just
And virtue builds
A higher trust.
Offer these things
That mean so much
And you will be
A healing touch.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I love metaphors and similes. I use them all the time. They’re some of the best ways of describing things without using the same ol’ dry and overused adjective descriptions. Like, today for instance. The title of this post (and Rhyme Time) is “where the sky ends“.

I decided to use “where the sky ends” as a metaphor for something involved in friendship. And I like to blur metaphors a little. To illustrate what I mean…I saw a definition of metaphor in one dictionary that used the example “I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression“. That’s a very obvious metaphor because your mind can almost literally see the trapdoor when it’s connected to depression.

Those kinds of metaphors are great. But I like to use them in ways that allow readers to sometimes come up with their own descriptions. Then, I know if they saw it the same way as me…or if it meant something altogether different to them. Today’s Rhyme Time is like that. I’d love to hear what you think I’m talking about when I use the metaphor…

Where The Sky Ends

We’ll be friends a long time you and me.
We have lots of places to go see.
With you right by my side,
We’ll run and fly and glide
To where the sky ends singing happily.

We’ll be friends when years have come and gone.
Others may pass by and carry on.
We’ll keep our bond alive.
We’ll walk and talk and drive
To where the sky ends right at dusk and dawn.

Let’s be friends through real and through pretends…
Up and down and rounding all the bends…
Like no friends ever were…
Whatever might occur…
We’ll still be holding hands right where the sky ends.

Stay tuned,

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Mind Your Manners

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You’re a work in progress. That’s why you should mind your manners.

Be nice to other people. Why be mean anyway? What good could possibly come from it? Think about this…You probably like to get presents on your birthday or Christmas…right? And you probably like when there’s ice cream or cake for dessert. True?

Well, each time someone gives you presents or ice cream or cake, they’re treating you nice. And maybe they’re even giving you some of these things when you didn’t even do anything to deserve them. They just wanted to be nice.

The good thing that happens when you mind your manners and be nice to others is that it starts to spread around. Before you know it, others will feel like being nice, too. Just think about it…

…it could all start with you. Will it?

Mind your manners…

if you have some.
If you don’t, I wonder why…
‘Cause they sure will come in handy
When some strangers happen by.
You could use a “please” or “thank you”
And make someone smile today.
You could choose to just keep frowning
And have nothing nice to say.
But you should do unto others
As you’d have done unto you…
Even if none of the others
Do what you would like them to.
You can be a better person
When you give more than you get.
And don’t worry when you mess up.
God’s not done with you quite yet.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Have you ever sat down and thought about how unique you really are? It’s true. There’s not another person on the whole planet with the same fingerprints, DNA, or even the same brain as you. When you think about the work that went into making you, you should be glad to be yourself…and never wish you were someone else.

And it’s no small thing to be yourself. There’s all that learning you have to do when you’re a kid. Things like how to eat with a spoon and fork. Or how much 4+3 equals. Or why tadpoles turn into frogs. The list is endless. And it’s your job to get all that information into your brain. There’s no one else in the whole universe who can do that for you. So,

Be Yourself.

Wow…this sounds really hard, doesn’t it? Well, that’s the funny part. It’s not hard at all. You just have to be yourself, open your eyes and ears, and let all those fun things flow into your head. Before you know it, you’ll be overflowing with wonderful facts and figures. Then you’ll be able to help someone else be himself or herself.

So, be thankful you’re alive, today. Get ready for all the wonders of the world. And remember…
God loves you, and so do I.

If you work to be yourself, I think you’ll find…
Being someone else won’t even cross your mind.
You’ll be busy being you.
It’s the best thing you can do.
Be yourself, a grand design, one-of-a-kind.

And for you adults…here’s the same encouragement to you in a short song called
“You Are The Brand”

Play

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How To Fly

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Have you ever thought you’d like to learn how to fly a plane? Or, are you like me…and you’ve wondered and even dreamed about flying…without a plane? Just you…in the air…zooming around, flying through clouds, skimming over the ocean.

When I was in grade school, way back in the 20th century, I read tons of books. I couldn’t get enough. In fact, I think in one school I read every book they had at my reading level and then went in search for other books. My favorites were the books where the main character could do or see things no one else around could.

And I remember a couple of them had flying in them.

I was so intrigued by flying that I also began to watch birds more intently. I’d draw them, particularly in colored pencils or watercolors. It’s amazing how fragile the bones in their wings are in spite of the beating they take in flight. Awesome design.

An ironic thing about my interest in birds and flying is that I’ve had a fear of heights for as long as I can remember. I’ve flown many times, and I’m mostly OK with that. And I don’t have a problem being on high mountains or mountain roads. But what I don’t like are high buildings or similar high places. You can’t get me next to a 32nd floor window. No way!

Writer singer illustrator Tony Funderburk recommends learning how to fly in your imagination...not in a tall building.

I remember being in a brand new building, Transco Tower (now called Williams Tower) in Houston, Texas when it was  brand new in 1983. We went up to the 60th floor (or somewhere close to that) and got to look around before there were any tenants. I stood at least 10 feet away from any windows, and we could actually feel the building sway. I was ecstatic to get my feet back down on solid ground.

So, I stuck with my flying preferences…which are found in a fertile imagination. And if you’re interested in that, maybe you’d be interested to know:

How To Fly

I can teach you how to fly…
Only if you don’t ask why
We don’t have wings.
‘Cause when you learn how to fly,
And you’re high up in the sky,
You’ll find out things.
Things about the stratosphere…
Not like things you’re used to here.
You’ll love it there.
There, the sky is your playground
Flying friends are all around
You in the air.
Getting there is easy, too.
All you really have to do
Is close your eyes.
Then imagine way up high…
Just imagine how to fly
In your own skies.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Do you ever find your mind overflowing with rhythmic, poetic thoughts? Well, I do…all the time. I can be working on something else entirely when suddenly a phrase will pop into my head. And not just the phrase, but also how the phrase should be read…in other words…what rhythm it should have. This was the case just a few minutes ago. I was minding my own business (literally) when suddenly I saw 4 words flash across my mind’s eye: walking in a whirlwind

Fortunately much of the time when this happens I’m at my computer keyboard, so I can quickly jot down the idea for future reference. This time I started to jot down the idea, and other thoughts began to form, and before I knew it I had my Rhyme Time all written down. I started with the initial idea, felt the rhythm of the 6 syllables, and the next line spilled out. Then I began to envision what a child might see in the middle of an imaginary tornado.

Of course, when kids imagine something like a whirlwind or tornado, they also imagine themselves being able to fly through it and see things no adults can see. Walking in a whirlwind makes total sense to them. It’s no more difficult than flying like Peter Pan or living in a hobbit house in the back yard tree.

There’s a dazzling process an imaginative young mind goes through…from a sudden beginning of an idea to a sudden end. I don’t pretend to completely understand, but I do understand when I completely pretend.

Walking In A Whirlwind

Walking in a whirlwind
I saw how the world spinned…
Topsy turvy tumbling…
Silly, dizzy stumbling.
Upsy daisy daydreams…
Isn’t that the way dreams
Spark imagination
Leading to creation?
Make your minutes matter.
Focus chitter chatter.
You could get your knees skinned
Walking in a whirlwind.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Life is not a tightrope walk. Oh sure, there may be lots of challenges that feel like it, but there’s so much more to it than that.

Today, there was a very anticipated and talked about event where a tightrope walker actually skimmed across a cable over the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t help think about his wife and kids. I remember this young man’s grandfather falling off a cable to his death years ago. Or was it his great-grandfather…but no matter. The point is, taking your life into your hands isn’t really a right anyone has. And whether you can admit it or not, there are people who would be affected if you did something like this and didn’t survive.

And what would it all be for? A place in a book of world records? A chance to show you’re the one person (for now) with enough nerve to risk your life for a stunt? I believe when we all leave this mortal life, we’ll find out some very interesting facts about daredevil stunts. But then…maybe I’m just a fuddy duddy killjoy. Time will tell.

In the meantime…here’s a circus poem inspired by the event of the day…

Toby And The Tightrope

Toby walked a tightrope like a tiger on its toes.
He wanted nothing more than to be walking through the sky.
He could feel the beating of his heart inside his ears,
But Toby couldn’t stop himself from walking somewhere high.
People came from miles around to watch him do his stunts.
They’d stand and eat their popcorn and some cotton candy, too.
Little kids would point and ask why Toby walked on ropes,
But there’s just no good answer for what lots of people do.
One day Toby walked the rope up to a swollen cloud,
And lightning zapped him in the toes and sent him tumbling down,
No one ever found him, and a mystery arose…
But then nobody cared when a new circus came to town.

Podcast: Embed

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Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers