Gold After Gray

Looking out my kitchen window in early spring, I eagerly await the blooming forsythia, more than a block away. I relish it as long as it lasts, thankful that its bright yellow is the first thing to come out after a long, gray winter. Our heavenly Father knew that our first glimpse of warmer weather needed to be a bright one!

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It reminds me of a favorite hymn, one my father and I play together--he on the recorder, and I on the piano.

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"As water to the thirsty, as beauty to the eyes,

as strength that follows weakness, as truth instead of lies,

as songtime, and springtime, and summertime to be,

so is my Lord, my living Lord, so is my Lord to me.

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"Like calm instead of clamor, like peace that follows pain,

like meeting after parting, like sunshine after rain,

like moonlight and starlight and sunlight on the sea,

so is my Lord, my living Lord, so is my Lord to me.

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"As sleep that follows fever, as gold instead of grey,

as freedom after bondage, as sunshine to the day,

as home to the traveler, and all he longs to see,

so is my Lord, my living Lord, so is my Lord to me."