Lessons From Nature

From My Mother’s Poetry Notebook: Lessons from nature

MARY LOUISE HOOLEY-CARLISLE·WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016

From the prisons of anxious tho’ts that greed has builded,

From the fetters that envy has wrought, and pride had gilded,

From the noise of the crowded ways and the fierce confusion,

From the folly that wastes its days in the world of illusion,

(Ah, but the life is lost that frets and languishes there!)

I would escape to be free in the joy of the open air.

By the faith that the flowers show when they bloom unbidden,

By the calm of the river’s flow to a goal that is hidden,

By the trust of the tree that clings to its deep foundation,

By the courage of wild birds’ wings on the longing migration,

(Wonderful secret of peace that abides in nature’s breast!)

Teach me how to confide, and live my life, and rest.

~ H. Van Dyke (untitled)

Psalm Of The Teacher

From My Mother’s Poetry Notebook: A Psalm of the Teacher

MARY LOUISE HOOLEY-CARLISLE·TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016

A Psalm of The Teacher

The Lord is my teacher.
I shall not lose the way to wisdom.
He leadeth me in the lovely paths of learning,
He prepareth a lesson for me every day;
He findeth the clear fountains of instruction,
Little by little He showeth me the beauty of truth.
The world is a great book that He hath written,
He turneth the leaves for me slowly;
They are inscribed with images and letters,
His face poureth light on the pictures and the words.
Then am I glad when I perceive His meaning.
He taketh me by the hand to the hilltop of vision;
In the valley also He walketh beside me,
And in the dark places He whispereth to my heart.
Yes, though my lesson be hard it is not hopeless,
For the Lord is very patient with his slow scholar;
He will wait awhile for my weakness,
He will help me to read the truth through my tears.
Surely Thou wilt enlighten me daily by joy and sorrow;
And lead me at last, O God, to the perfect knowledge of Thee.
~ Henry Van Dyke