I Am Glad for Many Things: My Favorite Hymn

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

I remember once when I was growing up, I woke up in a square of moonlight that was streaming in my bedroom window.  (I didn't have bedroom curtains until I moved away from home...we didn't need them.)  I was delighted.  It felt magical.

When we were waitresses, sometimes Marianne and I would drive home on full moonlit summer nights.  We would be exhausted from our jobs but giddy from the moon and the long shadows cast from its brightness in our world of no light pollution.  We'd swing on the swing set and glory in the moonlight.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

Years later, Marianne was leaving for a mission in South Carolina.  I would be going back to BYU and Olivia would be staying in Nevada.  Tragedy to our secure little sisterhood.  It was one of those amazing full moons the night before Marianne left.  We climbed into Sorrelly, our pink '69 Chevy Impala (did we tell our parents?) and drove down the valley to Starr Creek.  We leaned against the dusty car and talked.  Marianne reminded us that wherever we were, the moon would be the same.  She said she'd think of us whenever there was a full moon.  Olivia and I promised the same.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

On Saturday Adam and I bought his Christmas present, a bicycle.  Since it's too big to hide in any of my normal present hiding spots, I guess he gets it early.  Saturday evening, at Braeden's bidding, we rode our bikes in the light of a full moon to the park.  We have a helmet rule around here but not one of us wore a helmet.  Maybe it was too beautiful to be bothered with helmets...and several of us were wearing stocking caps.  That's almost as good right?

We swung on the swings and Mark and Emma climbed a tree.  We watched the moon and clouds and listened to the night.

Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.