One Sweet Song

My fairest child, I have no song to give you;
No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray;
Yet, ere we part, one lesson I can leave you
For every day.

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever;
Do noble things, not dream them, all day long:
And so make life, death, and that vast forever
One grand, sweet song.

 ~ A Farewell: by Charles Kingsley

Do you do noble things, or merely dream them? Do you use your cleverness (or other natural giftings) for good? In short I am asking, is your life a sweet song? The way you respond to things big and small, the way you treat every person, matters. Either your  bitterness or your kindness will live on long after you die. It is a matter of letting God's Spirit work in you, or quenching Him.

The line, "Do noble things, not dream them" is probably my favourite of this poem. I dream of grand things, when really I should just write a letter of encouragement to my friend's younger sister. I aspire to loving others, when I ought to call that person I do not relish calling --  they are worth being listened to. Noble things come in small choices sometimes. We must learn to do the small noble things if we expect to accomplish the great ones. There lies the sweetness flavouring life's song.

~ Johanna