Glad that I live am I (1909)
Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes
And the fall of dew.

After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.

All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow,
Nearer the sky.
(Lizette Woodworth Reese, 1856-1935)

I used to know this song off by heart.

I found this version on YouTube but it doesn’t really capture how we used to sing it. At first glance it might seem a bit twee – sentimentally bucolic even. However, imagine a school hall holding a couple of hundred children belting it out at full throttle. We sang it often enough to know it without being reminded of the words. It was also a teacher’s go-to song when they were landed with taking school assembly with just a few minutes’ notice. At least, that’s how it seems to me more than fifty years later.

Father of all, in Jesus Christ you open to us the treasures of your kingdom; guide us by your Holy Spirit that we may receive your redeeming grace and reflect the perfect unity of your love, for you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(Common Worship)