THANKSGIVING.
Not because Thou givest me Life from care and sorrow free Do I thank Thee, Lord, to-day; But because in life’s dark hour, Thou hast given peace and power To sustain me on the way.
Not for gift of wealth or fame Do I praise Thy kingly name Kneeling now with grateful heart; But for home, for friends, and health,— Greater gifts than fame or wealth, Blessings of my life a part.
Not because the earth is bright With a wealth of joy and light Do I thank Thee, Lord Divine; But because in Home above Life eternal speaks Thy love And the hope of Heaven is mine.
MUSINGS.
Upon the shining sands a man once strolled; And, looking out across the silvery sea, He saw the waste of waters, blue and cold, Where restless waves were climbing high and free.
He paused awhile to watch the changing tide; But, tiring of the noise and sunlight’s glare, He sought a hidden path, and turned aside, Where sweet wild roses scent the balmy air.
Then, growing weary as the morning passed, He filled his hands with blossoms that he found, And threw himself beneath an oak at last, Whose brawny branches brushed the grassy ground.
He bared his head; and lying ’neath the tree, Arranging wealth of roses in his hands, He thought that, ’bove the branches, he could see The same blue ocean rolling to the sands.