For the beauty

One of my favorite hymns is For the Beauty of the Earth (words and music here).  We sing it a lot in our home and the words bring comfort and happiness to me every time.  Here's how it goes:

1. For the beauty of the earth,
   For the beauty of the skies,
   For the love which from our birth
   Over and around us lies,

2. For the beauty of each hour
   Of the day and of the night,
   Hill and vale, and tree and flow'r,
   Sun and moon, and stars of light,

3. For the joy of human love,
   Brother, sister, parent, child,
   Friends on earth, and friends above,
   For all gentle thoughts and mild,

  Chorus:

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

All day yesterday I was thanking God.  I thanked Him that I could spend the day with  my parents.  I thanked Him that I found my way around town without getting lost, and that we made it home safely.  I thanked Him for so many things that I don't remember all of them now.  I came home feeling happy and content. 

I can't ever thank God enough for all that He has given me, or that He continues to do for me.  What I can do is spend my whole life trying- by noticing His gifts to me in the first place, and then by acknowledging them to Him and others.  Life is filled with blessings, and so many of them go unnoticed and "unthanked."  We have only to look around to see them, and a prayer of "Help me to see my blessings," can do wonders.   Siwa has a gratitude journal filled with pages and pages of lists of her blessings.  I see her writing in it at the day's end and I can't help but smile.

Here are some of the words to another favorite, Count Your Blessings (full song here).  We used to sing this with my grandmother.  I can still see her singing the words with closed eyes (that were losing their sight) and joy in her countenance:

When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

I send my deep gratitude to all of you who take the time to read my words.  

Have a grateful, glad and good holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving!