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Dawn's Notes"O Beautiful..."l “O beautiful for spacious skies, Have you every wondered who penned those words that cause pride in our nation to swell in our hearts? And who wrote the melody? According to one account, the words were penned by a young lady named Katharine Lee Bates, the daughter of a Congregational pastor in Massachusetts. She was an English literature teacher at Wellesley College in her home state. In 1893, when she was thirty-three-years old, Katharine taught a summer English class at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Following is her account of when she received the inspiration for the poem that is now a song known as “America, the Beautiful.” “One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to One account states that she is believed to have been referring to the wheat fields of Kansas, the “amber waves of grain,” that she would have traveled through on her way to Colorado. And perhaps her view from high on Pikes Peak prompted her “plain” description. The story is told of a man by the name of Samuel A. Ward from New York City who was inspired to write the melody for “America, the Beautiful” while traveling home on a ferry boat one summer day. A friend of his was also on the ferry boat with Mr. Ward. Fearing he might lose his newly-found melody, Mr. Ward asked his friend for permission to write the tune on the man’s shirt cuff! (Could it be that incident is where we get the term off the cuff?) Whatever the case, Mr. Ward wrote a beautiful melody for Miss Bates’ “O beautiful” poem! We as a nation have many “O beautiful” scenes for which to be grateful. It is true that our land is a land of grandeur and beauty—mountains, plains, and streams! But there are so, so many more beautiful things in our individual worlds—our freedom, our communities, our families, our friends, just to name a few! Babies, flowers, and butterflies, and the list goes on. If you have experienced a recent loss, it may be very difficult to “see” the beauty around you due to the mist in your eyes and sadness in your heart. But perhaps, in time, you too will again feel awe for the “O beautiful” things around you. After your loss, your perspective will probably change due to the “miles” you have traveled. And your inspiration most likely will not come atop Pikes Peak. But maybe, like Katharine Bates, you will someday say, “I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy!” Perhaps you too will see “all the wonder” and experience a new life, a different life, but an “O beautiful” life again! Call about the next "Living Life after Loss" Group at: Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW, Group Facilitator |
