Bless Your Heart Read online

  Bless the early morning light.

  Bless your eyes so shiny bright.

  Bless the hug you give to me.

  Bless the freckle on your knee.

  It’s vacation time at the beach, and a young boy and his little sister are up at dawn looking forward to a day of excitement and discovery It is so early that the lighthouse on the point is still lit. Mom and Dad soon join the children—their quiet voices offering blessings for the new day. As brother and sister meet their friends, play on the beach, swim in the surf, and explore the tidepools, each experience is a source of wonder and an occasion for appreciation. Even when a crab bites our young adventurer, his mother offers a blessing. Tears soon forgotten, the children use common seaweed on a fun-filled romp through the sand dunes. As each new activity unfolds, the blessings of the day unfold with it. Brilliantly illustrated with light-infused paintings, Bless Your Heart reminds us that all of life is a blessing and a gift from the Creator.

  Starseed Press

  an Imprint of

  H J Kramer

  P. O. Box 1082

  Tiburon, CA 94920

  Printed in Singapore

  Bless Your Heart

  Holly Bea

  Illustrated by Kim Howard

  H J KRAMER

  STARSEED PRESS

  TIBUR0N, CALIFORNIA

  Text copyright © 2001 by Holly Bea.

  Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Kim Howard.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

  reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,

  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

  recording, or by any information storage

  and retrieval system, without permission

  in writing from the publisher.

  Art Director: Linda Kramer

  Design and Production: Jan Phillips, San Anselmo, California

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Bea, Holly, 1956-

  Bless your heart / Holly Bea ; illustrated by Kim Howard.

  p. cm.

  Summary: In bedtime prayers, children bless all sorts of things, from hugs and birds to

  friends and chores.

  ISBN 0-915811-94-4 (cloth : alk. paper)

  [I. Prayers—Fiction. 2. Bedtime—Fiction. 3. Stories in rhyme.] I.Howard, Kim, ill. II.

  Title.

  PZ8.3.B3485 Bl 2001

  [E]—dc2l

  00-069538

  H J Kramer Inc

  Starseed Press

  P.O. Box 1082

  Tiburon, california 94920

  Printed in Singapore

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  In memory of my teacher, Lina Jean Davis, and to all

  educators who change the

  course of our lives.

  H.B.

  For Wilma Connor and her family who have stood by

  my side through every smile and tear in

  the last twenty-five years. Bless

  your hearts always.

  K.H.

  Bless the early morning light.

  Bless your eyes so shiny bright.

  Bless the hug you give to me.

  Bless the freckle on your knee.

  Bless the way you say hello.

  Bless the knot, and bless the bow.

  Bless your giggle, bless your cry.

  Bless the way you say good-bye.

  Bless the fun you’ll have today.

  Bless your friends along the way.

  Bless your busy little hands.

  Bless your castles made of sand.

  Bless the shells, and bless the star.

  Bless exactly who you are.

  Bless your boo-boo and your tears.

  Bless your riny little ears.

  Bless the tidepools and the birds.

  Bless your kind and gentle words.

  Bless your legs so fast and strong.

  Bless the path you travel on.

  Bless your silence and your song.

  Bless the place where you belong.

  Bless the chores that you will do.

  Bless you when you say “Ahh-choo!”.

  Bless your fingers and your toes.

  Bless your little button nose.

  Bless your special inner Light.

  Say a prayer and bless this night.

  Bless your heart, you are the best.

  Now bless my soul, it’s time to rest!

  Holly Bea was guided to a career in advertising by her high school journalism teacher, Lina Jean Davis. For more than twenty years, she and her mentor remained close friends while her work as an advertising copywriter took her to Houston, Chicago, and San Jose. As she grieved her teacher’s sudden death in 1998, Holly remembered how often Miss Davis would use the words “bless your heart.” In tribute to her memory, Holly wrote this book—her fourth children’s book with a spiritual them. Holly and her husband Steve, their sheltie Lizzie, and a bullmastiff named Buddy reside in Tampa, Florida. She loves to hear from her readers at [email protected]. To find out more about her books, visit www.hollybea.com.

  Kim Howard studied art and drama at the University of California at Berkeley. She has been a Merit Scholar at the Academy of Art College, a textile designer, a greeting card designer, and a freelance product designer. Kim has illustrated seventeen children’s books, including the best-selling The Lovables in the Kingdom of Self Esteem and the very popular Good Night, God. As a young girl, she walked the beaches of northern California with her grandfather, and the sea remains one of her favorite inspirations. While working on the paintings for Bless Your Heart, Kim was on sabbatical in Provence, France. She and her daughter Amelia reside in Ketchum, Idaho, and can be reached at [email protected].

 

 

  Holly Bea, Bless Your Heart

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