April Thirtieth

FATHER,
The path ahead is dark,
And we know not where Thou wouldst have us to go.
Give us, oh, give us, Thy gracious guidance
And a tranquil trust in Thy love,
That we may walk forward through the gloom,
Unfaltering, fearless, and confident,
Having within us that divine light
Which maketh clear as day the darkest midnight,
Guiding the traveller who shall trust in Thee
Safe through impenetrable forests and over trackless mountains -- Amen.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND

December The Thirteenth

HOW shall we pray Thee,
O Lord of our life,
For those that are dearer to us than our life?

How but in laying their souls in Thy hand,
As a child his most treasured possession
In the hands of his mother, to show her his love?

Thus we bring Thee to-day these souls that we love,
And we render them gladly to Thee,
The best gift that we have.

And we pray Thee the while, with the trust of a child,
Take them and hold them Thyself;
Keeping them ever next to Thy heart.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND

November The Twenty-Eighth

FATHER,
No glimpse of light can we see
On our future path;
But our hands are in Thy strong hand;
And Thou canst see.

Therefore, fearless and unafraid,
We will march through the darkness,
Upheld and guarded and led by Thy love,
Well knowing that every step of the way
Shall prove Thee more faithful and tender,
More wholly enough for all that we need.

O Father,
Our hearts and our lives, with deep and secret delight,
We render to Thee;
And forward we press, on our great adventure
Of this day Thou hast given,
To discover still wider and fairer realms
Of Thy great love,
And to labor for Thee.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND

September The Second

TAKE this Thy happy child to-night
Strong Father and Friend.

IT is time for sleep,
And Thy child comes again to Thy knee,
Sure of a perfect welcome,
Sure of forgiveness for failure,
Sure of a sweet, deep sleep,
Safe held in Thy care.

Take this Thy happy child to-night,
Strong Father and Friend.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND
Jean L. Wood checking up on sleeping child. Taken April 1948 by photographer Martha Holmes. Life magazine archives.

July The Twenty-Third

THE love of our hearts, dear Lord,
Goes to Thee this day.

We are little children, wearied with play,
Who have slept for a while in their mother's arms,
Then awaking, glad and refreshed,
Clasp her, caress here, knowing once more
The clasp, the caress of her love.

Thus, even thus, in our weakness,
Do we turn unto Thee, with childlike trust,
For the day's benediction of love - Amen.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND

Life magazine photo taken in 1951

June The Second

NEITHER in life nor in death is there aught to fear,
For Love indwells and sustains the Whole.

In life there is naught to fear,
For step by step, like little children,
We are led by him who holdeth our hands,
By him who hath crowned our lives, day by day,
With his wonders of beauty and love and delight.

In death there is nought to fear,
For there, also, love is supreme,
There also God's hand shall guide us, as little children.

Death is nought but the passage at last
From this our darkness and gloom to yonder splendor of light,
From this our half-knowledge, half-friendship, half-goodness,
To that perfection:
From this our death
To that fullness and freedom of life - Amen.

- JOHN S. HOYLAND
The Parisians: Little girls in front row of audience of children sitting very still, with rapt expressions, watching puppet show. Paris, France, May 28, 1963. Photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt.

March The Sixteenth

LORD of life and death,
We thank Thee for the great adventure of life,
With its untold possibilities,
Its incalculable changes,
Its mighty opportunities.

We thank Thee that - if we have Thee with us -
There is no monotony or weariness in the world;
But we go on - for ever exploring and adventuring,
Across new seas where ship has never sailed before;
Through trackless forests where human foot has never trodden.

We thank Thee that, for those who dwell with Thee,
Each day opens new a continent of vivid experience,
Each day shows new a world to conquer;
For Thy love is new every morning,
And life with Thee is daily born again from its beginning. - AMEN.

- JOHN S. HOYLAND

February The Twelfth

LOVER of our souls,
Come into these cold and empty hearts of ours,
Come to fill them with light, warmth and love,
With the heavenly music,
With the sound of the eternal harmony,
With the footfalls of the saints that rejoice in Thy bliss;
Thou art Lord of all, Master of suns and stars,
Yet art Thou our Beloved,
The Saviour of our souls from death and night.

Come, our Lord, Thou Love of our souls,
Come to purify and uplift our failing hearts,
Come to impart unto us the eternal joy of those that are in bliss with Thee.

- JOHN S. HOYLAND