We sang "America the Beautiful" for the music period in Relief Society on Sunday. That seemed a bit unusual, because the lesson was on Elder Oaks' "Good, Better, Best" talk, and at first blush it doesn't seem like that hymn matches the subject all that well. The music director indicated that she had chosen it because Elder Oaks referred to it in his talk: "We should, as we sing in a great hymn, 'crown [our] good with brotherhood,' showing love and concern for all whom our lives affect."
I'm not sure if it was because of the atypical use of the hymn, or because I had been so touched by the closing hymn in Sacrament Meeting that I was particularly attentive to the words. And for the past few days several of the phrases have continued to play in my mind:
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness, And ev'ry gain divine.
America! God shed his grace on thee...
The words of another of my favorites come to mind:
I love my land, America, with blue skies big and wide;
I love my land, America, with seas on either side.
The prairie corn grows tall and green, the wheat is amber gold;
The rivers run from mountain peaks
where the "Stars and Stripes" unfold.
I love my land, America, and as long as we are good,
The Lord will bless America in love and brotherhood.
So, how is America doing? Is the soul of our nation being confirmed in self-control? Is our liberty being confirmed in law? Have we ceased to be good? (Remember the wonderful quote that everybody and his brother have attributed to Tocqueville that apparently wasn't written by him: "If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.")
And how am I doing? Am I being good? Or better? Or better yet, am I weeding out "excessive and ineffective busyness" and asking myself, what is the best use of my time right now? How can I best show love and concern for all whom my life affects?
I'm pledging my allegiance: On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God, and beautiful America.
