For the Beauty of the Earth

While spending an absolutely gorgeous afternoon out on the Kootenai River
walk, I found the following song stuck in my head:

           For the beauty of the earth,
      for the glory of the skies,
      for the love which from our birth
            over and around us lies;
      Lord of all, to thee we raise
      this our hymn of grateful praise.

      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 hymn of grateful praise.

      For the joy of ear and eye,
      for the heart and mind's delight,
      for the mystic harmony,
      linking sense to sound and sight;
      Lord of all, to thee we raise
      this our hymn of grateful praise.

      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 hymn of grateful praise.

      For thy church, that evermore
      lifteth holy hands above,
      offering up on every shore
      her pure sacrifice of love;
      Lord of all, to thee we raise
      this our hymn of grateful praise.

      For thyself, best Gift Divine,
      to the world so freely given,
      for that great, great love of thine,
            peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
      Lord of all, to thee we raise
      this our hymn of grateful praise.

*The last two days have been great. Yesterday
afternoon we went to the Kootenai Falls and
Swinging bridge and today I spent the afternoon
by myself studying and walking. It was incredibly
beautiful and a great time of refreshment for me.
To see the entire album, click on the title above,
"For the Beauty of the Earth"