A Hymn of Grateful Praise

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Melodies & Musings

When English poet Folliott Pierpoint sat on a hilltop overlooking the countryside in 1864, the surrounding beauty inspired him to write a simple song of gratitude—one that still speaks to us today. That hymn is For the Beauty of the Earth.

The melody of this hymn is beautiful. But the words really help me be grateful for the many blessings I have in my life. I especially love the words to the first verse.

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.

I have always loved the beauties of nature. Looking at the beautiful mountains in Northern Utah where I live fills my soul with gratitude. The beautiful blue skies and even some puffy white clouds help me be grateful. But what really fills my soul with gratitude is the love of my Heavenly Father who loved me before my birth. He loves me no matter what. He will love me with a perfect love I can’t even begin to imagine throughout eternity. He created this earth for me and for all of us to enjoy its beauty.

What is one small detail in nature or your daily life that made you pause and give thanks today? What is one line from a hymn that always fills your heart with gratitude?

Here’s a YouTube Short of me singing the first verse:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0Fy-2XZinaM

Only One Step Back

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-August 5th, 2026

“No matter how far you have walked away from God, the return trip is only one step.” This quote really resonated with me when I saw it on Facebook recently because it is so true. I have always believed that our Heavenly Father loves us so much and that He will always be there for us.

If we walk away from Him and don’t do what we know we should do, we can always come back and He will be waiting for us. This reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son in the New Testament (Luke 15:11-32).

In that parable, the younger son asks his father for his inheritance early and leaves home. He goes and does what he wants for a while and eventually he blows his inheritance. When a famine comes and he is destitute, he decides to return home. He hopes that his father will accept him as a servant.

But his father sees him coming, runs to meet him, embraces him, and celebrates his return with a feast. That’s how it is with our Heavenly Father. If we decide not to communicate with Him for a while, I’m sure that makes Him sad. But He isn’t going to violate the agency He gave us, so He lets us do what we want to do. But the moment we decide to reach out to Him, I’m sure He is celebrating because the son or daughter who was lost is found.

Have you ever felt God’s love after returning to Him during a difficult season of your life? What does the story of the Prodigal Son teach you about God’s character?

As Endless as the Sky

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-July 22nd, 2026

One of the characters in the book The Lumber Baron’s Wife by Lynn Austin talks about God’s love being as endless as the sky. If you look up at the sky, you can’t see the end of it, it seems like it goes on forever. Our Heavenly Father’s love is like that. We can feel it and we know it is there, but we can’t see the end of it because it is endless and eternal. I thought that was a really good analogy.

As someone who grew up with my parents teaching me about my Heavenly Father and that He always loved me and cared about me, I have kept that belief all of my life. I feel the love of my Heavenly Father the most when I kneel to Him in prayer. Every time I pray with sincere effort and wanting to communicate with Him, I feel His love for me.

Have you ever paused to look at the sky and let it remind you of God’s endless love? When have you felt His love most personally?

We can feel His love for us any time and anywhere. He will shower us with His endless love whenever we need it.

He Reached Down First

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-July 15th, 2026

There are days when my health reminds me of all the things I can’t do. On those days, discouragement can quietly settle into my heart, and sometimes I even become a little grumpy because my body simply won’t let me do what I want.

A couple of days ago was one of those days. But before I even reached out in prayer, I felt my Heavenly Father’s love gently reach down to me. He filled my heart with peace and reminded me that this difficult day would pass. I was comforted by the sweet assurance that He knows exactly what I’m going through. He sees every step I take, understands every limitation I face, and is never far away.

It made me realize that our Heavenly Father is aware of each one of us. Sometimes, before we even reach up to Him, He lovingly reaches down to us with the hope, comfort, and strength we need.

Have you ever felt God’s love come to you when you needed it most, even before you asked? How has His quiet reassurance helped you keep moving forward through your own difficult days?

The World Is Crowded with God

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-July 14th, 2026

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” — C.S. Lewis

I love this quote because it reminds me that God’s presence is never far away. We see Him in the beauty of His creations, in the quiet whisperings of His Spirit, and in the love and goodness of the people around us. Because we are created in His image and He is the Father of our spirits, we each reflect a little of His divine nature. Just as children often resemble their earthly parents, we can also see glimpses of our Heavenly Father in ourselves and in one another.

How often do we pause to recognize His fingerprints in our daily lives? What if, instead of looking only for the extraordinary, we looked for the countless ordinary ways He is already making His presence known?

The more we seek Him, the more we begin to realize that He has been with us all along.