“Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5:20
I still remember singing the following Thanksgiving-themed song while in fifth grade, blending my shy voice with the other students. (Yes, we sang hymns in public school back then, and what a blessing it was.) Even to this day, I get goose pimples when hearing this song played or sung—it takes me right back to that sunlit classroom and our inspiring music teacher, Mr. Shaar.
This favorite Thanksgiving hymn of mine was written in 1864 and reminds me of hiking in the Rockies and in the New England mountains, of coming upon a dahlia farm in Camden, Maine quite unexpectedly, and the breathtaking, flaming reds of Connecticut trees against the bluest of blue skies...and our Creator's great love for us.
"For the Beauty of the Earth" (lyrics by Folliott S. Pierpoint, inspired by Ephesians 5:20)
For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty 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 flow'r, sun and moon, and stars of light.
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.
Perhaps you'll be singing this song sometime this month (with me), as we lift our voices across the miles.
With deep gratitude to our Lord for all things great and small! Why not be grateful all year long?
Beverly Lewis
Dear reader, I'm delighted to share that my sister and partner, Barbara, and I have added two new cards to our Amish Cheer card line.
"Thankful Blessings" features an inspiring poem found in our Aunt Beulah Buchwalter's 1930s diary, which she started writing in at age 20. The poem is poignant and so timely for our present day. Barbara and I shed tears when we first read it.
The launch of "Amish Home Christmas" has been equally exciting, featuring an Amish kitchen in Ronks, PA (Lancaster County), which we pray brings cheer and encouragement to each person on your card list. Order at our secure website: www.amishcheer.com.
On the writing side of things, I have reached the half-way point for my revisions of The Orchard, my September 2022 stand-alone novel, set in beautiful and quaint Bird-in-Hand, PA, close to the location of the real Kauffman Fruit Farm. It is a compelling story from early 1970s when America's sons were caught up in the draft for the Vietnam War, Amish and non-Amish alike, creating strife for those who were unprepared to embrace conscientious objector status. Okay, that's all I'd better say about that for now. But I'm quite eager for you to read Ellie and Evan Hostetler's story journey, dear friends!
