The Things I Prize ~

These are the things I prize
   And hold of dearest worth:
Light of the sapphire skies,
Peace of the silent hills,
Shelter of the forests, comfort of the grass,
Music of birds, murmur of little rills,
Shadows of clouds that swiftly pass,
   And, after showers,
   The smell of flowers
And of the good brown earth ~
And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.

~ Henry Van Dyke (1852 - 1933) American author, educator