After the post-a-day Lent gig here @ Roses in the Rubble, Virginia (your other-wised occupied blogger) took a wee blogcation.  To get back into the blogging grooves, how appropriate to share a piece of peace-packing music for the spirit…

While getting my precious Mama ready for bed each night we often sing hymns together (or sometimes she just hums along to my bombastic soprano.)  Last week when she requested that wonderful old hymn, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,” we didn’t get much past the first line (even with bombastic soprano goings on.)  Ooops – another oldie but goodie forgotten.  The next day we tackled memorizing the first verse from the Hymnal (turns out the only remembered words came from the last verse : )  ….and today we finished out the remaining verses.  Powerful, powerful words that really moved my heart & spirit today as Mama sang along. (Memorizing words & music for me now requires quite a bit of repetition, verse by verse, so we had a go at this hymn quite a few times!)

Here are the words for our hearts & spirits to munch on today (don’t forget the mind-munching part, too.)

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee…

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

Words: John G. Whittier (1807-1892)  (We like the Frederick C. Maker music version.)

grace, peace & quiet dews

    Virginia : )