for the beauty of the earth

Whenever my sisters and I get together in a beautiful spot, they have a tradition.

  

I say “they” because that little tradition involves singing.  And a little known fact about me is that I don’t really sing.  Which is really kind of weird, because I was in a singing group for years (at least it felt like years) when I was little, and I was in choir all through high school.  I sing at church.  But I don’t sing along to anything.  My girls wish I would sing along with them in the car, or when we’re cleaning the kitchen, or whatever might bring music to be blaring into our lives.  But I just can’t bring myself to do it.  I don’t really know why.  I don’t think it’s because I’m self-conscious…I don’t have the worst voice in the world…wait, maybe I do. Maybe it’s because I don’t know the words.  Well, for sure that’s at least part of it.  How is everyone able to just bust out the words to random songs on the radio?  Even Lucy knows them all.  It’s weird.  It just doesn’t come naturally to me.

Whoa, that was a little digression there.  The point is, when we’re in gorgeous spots, those sisters of mine break out in singing “For the Beauty of the Earth.”  Reverently.  Beautifully.  And it's pretty cool how much singing helps to transcend all that beauty into your heart.

So I shared that thought with my family a time or two.

So let's fast-forward to a couple months ago when Elle was traipsing through Spain and Portugal.  It was so fun to see pictures like this pop up on my phone here and there:

Oh gosh, they sure found some drop-dead gorgeous places.

But my favorite thing?

A video popped up of Elle in this gorgeous spot with her two traveling companions (who are also her Hawaii roommates) singing “For the Beauty of the Earth."

And then a couple days later another one.  And then another.

Oh, there are some things that just make your mother’s heart happy.  When something good is passed down.

There couldn’t be better role models for that Elle than those sisters of mine.  And you could tell from those videos that those girls, all three, were trying with all their might to fill up with all that gorgeousness.  Something about that song with those sunset/wave crashing beauty behind them just made me happy.

For the beauty of the earth 

For the beauty of the skies

For the love from which our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

Yes, I think I’ll finally memorize those lines.  And join in with my sisters (and maybe my own family too) next time God’s love is wrapped around us so snuggly through the beauty of His creations.