Hoping for Sunshine and Loving the Birds

It’s Ann and Andy here.

Andy and I have had a busy few weeks, so we’re combining our blogging efforts today – and offering up a bit of BigLittleMeals nostalgia. Andy has been thinking (again) about birds – and I’ve been thinking (again) about the word “hope.” You’ll recall that Emily Dickinson had a nice take on hope with her poem “Hope is the thing with feathers,” written around 1861 and published in 1891, after Dickinson’s death. (A little reminder: Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter on February 12, 1861, beginning the U.S. Civil War).

My other favorite message of hope comes from a long-time family favorite, the song “Whispering Hope,” written by Septimus Winner (aka Alice Hawthorne) in 1868, two years after the Civil War ended. Winner apparently never thought of it as a hymn, but it has been included in many hymnals, including this 1933 book of hymns, which I inherited from my granddad.

Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:

Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.

I might add that this day and time seems more like a downpour than a shower, but I still like the message. And, if you want a trip down memory lane, listen to this 1957 rendition by Pat Boone (though the song was meant to be a duet).

Now it’s Andy’s turn:

While Emily Dickinson finds “things with feathers” to be an apt metaphor for hope, for me, “things with feathers” can provide a bit of cheer when life events get me down. Just over five years ago I published (on what was then Andy’s Corner) a video featuring our backyard birds. It still brings me a much needed smile. See if it makes you smile too.

As for today’s recipe…there isn’t one. Four times is probably too often to offer up World Peace Cookies! 🙂