God, who touchest earth with beauty,make my heart anew;
with thy Spirit recreate me,
pure and strong and true.
with thy Spirit recreate me,
pure and strong and true.
Like thy springs and running waters, make me crystal pure;
like thy rocks of towering grandeur,
make me strong and sure.
Like thy dancing waves in sunlight, make me glad and free;
like the straightness of the pine trees
let me upright be.
Like the arching of the heavens lift my thoughts above,
turn my dreams to noble action:
ministries of love.
God, who touchest earth with beauty, make my heart anew;
keep me ever by the Spirit,
pure and strong and true.
Mary Susanne Edgar was a Canadian author born on May 23, 1889. She is the author of several books, one-act plays and hymns, the most famous of them being God Who Touchest Earth with Beauty which has been translated into several languages and placed in hymnals around the world. She was the daughter of Joseph Edgar and Mary Little, from Sundridge, Ontario. In 1922 she opened a girls' camp near Sundridge on Lake Bernard, called Glen Bernard. Mary Edgar continued as the camp's director until her retirement in 1956. Her life was devoted to working with girls and camping through many local, provincial and national organizations. She was the author of many books, plays and hymns... (Wikipedia)
Mom spent many summers at Glen Bernard Camp in the 1940's as a camper and also as a leader. She shared some of her camping experiences when she visited us this Christmas and told me about Mary Edgar and her writings.
I was on call today and had to do some home care visits at the far end of our region. When I was done, I had time to walk a few kilometers on a new trail. The sun shone and it was bitterly cold, but the beauty of the day was captured in the above pictures.
You def. have an eye for great pics.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely Ruth. The poem is perfect with your very beautiful images.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite photo is the second one. Oh, they are all great and you illustrated a beautiful poem. I'm glad you had time for a walk after your visits and time to share it with us.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem and lovely photos. Great job.
ReplyDeleteBloody cold! It was like -5 in Buffalo! But the sky was pristine and everything was beautiful so I could not help myself but go out on a hike.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruth! I liked that 3rd shot with the moon behind the tree. I tried for a moon shot today but with not so good effect! It's great how you put poems to your pictures!
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful, both pictures and poem! I enjoyed hearing about the author, too. Thanks for sharing that with us!
ReplyDeleteso lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind comments. I do enjoy every sunny day, even if it is cold.
ReplyDeleteTo Kristin K... (July 28/09)
ReplyDeleteI received your email through Wellsphere and cannot respond for some reason in their system. If you want you can email me at body_soul_spirit_2 at rogers.com
I live very far away from my mother and she will not be able to respond through Wellsphere either.
Hi Ruth. Fellow Ontarian here, transported out west about 20 years ago. This blog caught my eye because of my interest in hymns and my own blog site Wordwise Hymns. Today is the 36th anniversary of the death of Mary Edgar, author of "God Who Touchest Earth with Beauty."
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed your pictures, and took a look at the beautiful "Beaverton Bird Blog." (I've been in Beaverton, Ontario, many times.) Noticed your interest in Agatha Christie's books too. I'm a mystery story fan myself.
Have a great day!