For the Beauty of Each Hour

By Carol Woolum Roberts

This past weekend I had an almost, near perfect trip to the Oregon Coast.

We returned to Rockaway Beach, the place we all gathered the last time our family was at the coast.

This time instead of Mom, Bill, Christy, Everett, Shelby and Annie, (Christy and Everett's dogs) and Peaches and Sadie (our dogs) we had Jason, Taylor, Saphire, Cleo (our dog), Sweetie, Marley and Henry (Cosette and Taylor’s dogs).

I had been looking back at blog posts my siblings and I wrote after that trip in 2009, and I read my brother Bill’s blog post to my daughter Molly while we were there, and this trip, I had some of the same sentiments as my brother did at our former trip….one of them being that God was everywhere.  (If you want to read Bill’s post, you can read it here.)

And that got me thinking of one of my favorite hymns…For The Beauty of the Earth.

Because this past weekend was full of all kinds of beauty.

1. 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.

As I read this verse, it reminds me of the beautiful landscapes we saw on our trip, from sandy beaches to crashing waves to old growth cedars. We went out on Nehalem Bay to do some crabbing, and saw seagulls, loons, pelicans, seals, and crabs.  

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

2. 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.

Each hour on this trip, I experienced beauty.  The sunset on Friday night.  The pure joy of 7 year old Saphire’s face experiencing the ocean for the first time. My three daughters sitting together and enjoying one another’s company. The sunny, not very windy Saturday morning I sat in a chair at the beach and drew. Taylor, Cosette and Saphire running through the water.  Jason helping us with our crabbing experience. So much beauty.

Lord of all to these we raise, this or hymn of grateful praise.

3. 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.

At the ocean, all the senses are heightened.  You see the ocean waves, and the sand.  You see broken shells and rocks on the seashore.  You smell the salt air.  On Sunday, returning from our crabbing trip out on the boat, my lips tasted like salt. I tasted the delights of fresh crab, Pronto Pups, Salt Water Taffy, and Ice Cream, Cosette's Orzo Pasta dish, and delicious pizza. You can hear the waves crashing onto the shore from our Rockawaves-retreat we stayed in, both on the back deck and in our bedroom at night.  I love the feel of sand between my toes on the beach. 

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

4. 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 the joy of human love.  A weekend of human love, shared between our family. Between Paul and I, our daughters, their partners and Saphire, our soon to be “official” granddaughter.  (Unless something changes, we will be her Glamma and Glampa).  I love watching my daughters be together and share special times.  I love seeing Taylor, Cosette and Saphire create their family.  I love watching Jason and Zoe together. I loved us all together, gathering in the living room playing games at night.  I loved having four dogs in the mix.

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

5. 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.

I loved contemplating on Jesus.  I loved contemplating on The Creator.  I loved contemplating this Gift Divine, so freely given to the world. I am in awe of it all.  What a glorious weekend.  What a glorious God.

I loved experiencing some peace on earth.

I loved experiencing a bit of joy, as in heaven.

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

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Where have you experienced the beauty of God’s creation lately?

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