The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
-Eternal Father (The Navy Hymn)
Rest easy.
7 comments:
My goosebump moment: While waiting for our table at a restaurant last night, a couple of the sailors here for Fleet Week walked in and weaved their way through the crowded bar. From somewhere--from someone--the sound of a single clap was offered, followed quickly by a half dozen more, and more still, until all of us were clapping and offering cheers and rounds of thanks ( and a couple of rounds of drinks as well.) Not much given all they give for us but it was the best we could do from this our concrete jungle. I was pretty damn proud to be an American last night...and a New Yorker, too.
P.S. I didn't have a chance to make good on my promise to kiss a sailor (...yet) but that doesn't mean either of them went without :)
Who says New Yorkers have no heart?
A nice story, Portia. But its Fleet Week, so you still have time to find a sailor to kiss.
So good of you to have a soft spot for the parent company, Cass.
So what are you saying Portia? You have a Julia Roberts rule about kissing and, uh, other stuff?
Done. Last Night. In the Bronx.
Yankee Stadium. Top of the 6th.
Portia scores. U.S. Navy sailor blushes.
Hometown team loses. Yankee fan wins.
No, KJ. I made a promise to a friend that I would kiss a sailor to bring a smile to his [the sailor's] face. Funny thing is, I'm the one smiling...still. He, on the other hand, is probably still washing his face muttering something about crazy New York women. No comment, please:)
By the by, what is the Julia Roberts' rule?
I'd make an exception too but only if he promised to be An Officer and a Gentleman.
I never meant, or thought, that the blessings of the Navy Hymn were restricted to those so suited in Navy Blue. The metaphor of a temptemtuous ocean and its natural (unatural?) potential for eliciting divine intervention has always held far wider implications for this simple soul.
So it is.
Gob bless them. All of us.
Indeed. God bless them all.
And please know that I never intended to limit my kisses to those suited in Navy Blue. I would have gladly offered one or a half dozen to any member(s) of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard or Marine Corps if I had spotted him--or her--or them--first. Julia Roberts and her rules be damned. Goat or no goat.
Um...I think this is our cue to start talking about the Commerce Clause. Cass?
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