~I SEE THE SEA

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"The sea hath no king but God alone."

~Dante Gabriel Rossetti~

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"Though inland far we be,
Our souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither."
~William Wordsworth~

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"Life is like sea-water; it never gets quite sweet until it is drawn up into heaven."

~J.P. Richter~

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"There brews He beautiful water! And beautiful it always is! You see it glistening in the dewdrop; you hear it singing in the summer rain; you see it sparkling in the ice gem when the trees seem loaded with rich jewels!... dancing in the hailstorm, leaping, foaming, dashing...! See how it weaves a golden gauze for the setting sun, and a silvery tissue for the midnight moon!"

~John Bartholomew Gough~

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SEASIDE THOUGHTS
~by Bernard Barton~

Beautiful, sublime, and glorious,
Mild, majestic, foaming, free!
Over time itself victorious,
Image of eternity.

Sun, and moon, and stars shine o'er thee,
See thy surface ebb and flow;
Yet attempt not to explore thee
In thy soundless depths below.

Whether morning's splendour steep thee
With the rainbow's growing grace,
Tempests rouse, or navies sweep thee,
'Tis but for a moment's space.

Earth, her valleys and her mountains,
Mortal man's behest obey;
Thy unfathomable fountains
Scoff his search and scorn his sway.

Such art thou, stupendous ocean!
But, if overwhelmed by thee,
Can we think without emotion
What must thy Creator be?

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PRAYER

~by William E. Orchard~

Like summer seas that lave with silent tides a lonely shore, like whispering winds that stir the tops of forest trees, like a still small voice that calls us in the watches of the night, like a child's hand that feels about a fast-closed door; gentle, unnoticed, and oft in vain; so is thy coming unto us, O God.

Like ships storm-driven into port, like starving souls that seek the bread they once despised, like wanderers begging refuge from the whelming night, like prodigals that seek the father's home when all is spent; yet welcomed at the open door, arms outstretched and kisses for our shame; so is our coming unto thee, O God.

Like flowers uplifted to the sun, like trees that bend before the storm, like sleeping seas that mirror cloudless skies, like a harp to the hand, like an echo to a cry, like a song to the heart; for all our stubbornness, our failure and our sin; so would we have been to thee, O God.

*Source of photion

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