Happy 248th birthday to America, the wondrous and glorious slice of heaven I call home. We are so fortunate to live in a free country. And I’m so grateful for my small town American life. Enjoyed swimming at baby brother’s farm this afternoon and we had delicious barbecued ribs with all the trimmings for supper. They are always gracious hosts.

I searched around for beautiful poems about American to read today and always came back to the iconic America the Beautiful. This is such a beautiful piece of poetry, describes America so well, and lends it words to music so magically. We all learned the lyrics as children.

The poem, written by Katherine Lee Bates, a professor at Wellesley College, was composed on a trip out west. She taught a summer course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and celebrating the end of the teaching period, took an expedition with other professors to the top of Pike’s Peak by prairie wagon. The breathtaking panoramic view of the mountains and valley spoke to her soul. Bates said, “I was inspired by the sea-like expanse of fertile country under those ample skies.” She had traveled by train from Massachusetts watching the scenic countryside from her train’s windows, no doubt inspired also by that scenery.

She had finished writing the poem before she left Colorado Springs and gave the poem the title Pike’s Peak. The poem was not published till two years later in the weekly newspaper, The Congregationalist, on July 4, 1895 where it was titled America. The poem was revised in 1904 and 1913 and set to music by Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. Interestingly, the two of them never met each other.

Here’s her original poem in paragraph form. Read the poem as a literary work and think how inspired she was from the view at Pike’s Peak.

America — O beautiful for halcyon skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the enameled plain! America, America! God shed His grace on thee, till souls wax fair as earth and air and music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stern, impassioned stress a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness! America, America! God shed His grace on thee till paths be wrought through wilds of thought by pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale of liberating strife, when once or twice, for man’s avail, men lavished precious life! America, America! God shed His grace on thee till selfish gain no longer stain the banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears! America, America! God shed His grace on thee till nobler men keep once again thy whiter jubilee. — Katherine Lee Bates

Bates was surprised by the poem’s success and was quoted as saying, “the enduring hold it has upon our people is clearly due to the fact that Americans are at heart idealists, with a fundamental faith in brotherhood.” We need to pray for America on her birthday and pray every day that her flag continues to fly with freedom. God bless America.

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” — John F. Kennedy