Waiting for Papa
Drawn in 1876 by J. Stiner for Popular Graphic Arts
It was one of the nights which do not come often in a lifetime,
and which people never forget.
The darkness seems full of meaning; the hush, full of sound.
God is beyond, holding the sunrise in his right hand,
holding the sun of our earthly hopes as well; will it dawn in sorrow or in joy?
We dare not ask; we can only wait.
― Susan Coolidge, What Katy Did Next
Sources:
[1] Original image from Wikimedia
[2] The Real Victorian's enhanced version of the public domain painting seen above,
downloadable as a 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG
Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain paintings are shared under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Child with Christmas Card
by Alden Finney Brooks (1840–1931)
There was nothing about you
that was ever wrong in the first place.
You were not made in error;
there is no mistaking that everything
you are was intended.
The night loves all of the moon
and her many phases.
― Courtney Peppernell, Watering the Soul
Sources:
[1] Original image from Wikimedia
[2] The Real Victorian's enhanced version of the public domain painting seen above,
downloadable as a 8.5" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG
Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain paintings are shared under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
by Leopold Brunner (1788–1866)
Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess:
Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity.
Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.
Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.
Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.
I will not ask thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.
Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces.
Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.
Amen.
Sources:
[1] Original image from Wikimedia
[2] The Real Victorian's enhanced version of the public domain painting seen above,
downloadable as a 11" x 14" @ 300 ppi JPEG
Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain paintings are shared under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
