Memorial Day!

Memorial Day in our United States is observed every year on the last Sunday of May.  It is a Federal Holiday when our nation pauses to remember those who have died in military service to their country and given their lives for our freedom!  In Psalm 33:12, we read -- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"!  And in Proverbs 14:34, we see -- "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

When we think of patriotism, we often think of this beautiful patriotic hymn, "My Country 'Tis of Thee".  It was written by Samuel Francis Smith, a native of Boston, and born on October 21, 1808.  Samuel was proficient in German, and one afternoon was struck by the words of "Gott Segne Sachsenland" (God bless our Saxon Land).  Samuel said --
     "I instantly felt the impulse to write a patriotic hymn of my own, adapted to this tune.  Picking up a scrap of paper which lay near me, I wrote at once, probably within half an hour.  A friend took a copy to the pastor of Boston's Park Street Congregational Church.  There, "My Country 'Tis of Thee"
was first sung by the Juvenile Choir at a Sunday School Rally on July 4, 1831.
      In the years that followed, became a Samuel became a college professor, hymnist, linguist, writer, and missionary advocate.  His son became a missionary to Rangoon.  Samuel remained active till the end.  He died suddenly in his late 80's, but he has always been revered for this patriotic hymn he wrote as a 23 year-old student.  His friend and classmate, Oliver Wendell Holmes,  said at a class reunion --
     "And there's a nice youngster of excellent pith, -- fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith;
But he shouted a song for the brave and the free, -- just read on his medal, 'My country, of thee!"

     "My country, 'tis of thee -- sweet land of liberty -- of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died -- land of the pilgrim's pride --
      From every mountain side -- let freedom ring!

      My native country, thee -- land of the noble, free -- thy name I love:
I love thy rocks and rills -- thy woods and templed hills --
      My heart with rapture thrills -- like that above.

      Let music swell the breeze -- and ring from all the trees -- sweet freedom's song:
Let mortal tongues awake -- let all that breathe partake --
      Let rocks their silence break -- the sound prolong.

      Our fathers' God, to Thee -- author of liberty -- to Thee we sing --
Long may our land be bright -- with freedom's holy light --
      Protect us by Thy might -- Great God, our King!"