By Rosie Moore

In my little book “Daily Psalms and Prayers” on July 26, I read these words:

I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face and a  grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that can not be denied;

And  all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

Also I read these words: “The day that dawns in heaven for me will never know a sunset. In its eternal light, I will always live and rejoice without fear or pain or dread or sorrow or worry, with no shadow of death lurking and looming any more. I shall soar in unmitigated  joy and then light in pure peace and sing clearly and dance freely as I was created to do. I will be united at last with the love of my life and never again be separated from him nor from any of those who have loved him on earth. And so shall we ever be with the Lord, for the day that dawns in heaven for us will never know a sunset.”

John Masefield was born in  1878. He was an English poet and writer and was Poet Laureate from  1930 until his death in 1967. He left school to train for a life at sea, where he spent many hours reading and writing. It was said his poetry “could touch to beauty the plain speech of every day life.”

It seems to me that the majority of his poetry concerned the end of life. It was certainly on his mind a lot, as it is on everyone’s mind during the course of their lives.

Before he died he wrote “Let no religious rite be done or read

In any place for me when I am dead,

But burn my body into ash, and scatter

The ash in secret into running water

Or in the windy down, and let none see;

And then thank God that there’s an end of me”

According to his wishes he was cremated.

Thought for the day: God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.     Augustine.

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