Today is John Muir’s birthday.  How fitting it is that the birthday of the guardian of Yosemite would fall on the day before Earth Day.

Wikipedia summarizes his life:

John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of U.S. wilderness. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, have been read by millions and are still popular today. His direct activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. His writings and philosophy strongly influenced the formation of the modern environmental movement.

Below are three websites where you can celebrate in sight and sound the wonder of God’s  creation as expressed by Muir and revealed by Yosemite National Park, a location that can be characterized as “awesome” without exaggeration.  Enjoy the experiences!

Video

http://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jscnhm/v1n2/muirquotes.html

Still Photography

http://www.flickr.com/groups/yosemite/pool/show/

To conclude this experience, consider the wonderful words of the old hymn by F. S. Pierpoint that is heard so seldom these days.  Here sung by the Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary) choir [score by John Rutter]:

For The Beauty Of The Earth

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For thy Church which evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

hoto

See you outdoors!

Dean