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Jessica
The last few weeks I have listened to many friends express feelings of inadequacy. Many even question if their efforts in life have been of value, meaning or purpose. As I listened to their sentiments and concerns, I remembered Minnie Louise Haskins. Some may know her name, but for most, her name goes unknown even though it was her poem, spoken by King George the VI, that inspired a country facing the perils of war. Minnie wrote, The Gate of the Year, in 1908. It would go undiscovered until 1939 when the Queen brought it to the attention of King George the VI. Even as the King read the lines of her poem which read, “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way,” over the airways, her name would not be discovered until another BBC broadcast announced her as the author some time later. Minnie was unaware that her poem was even being featured in the King’s speech. No one had informed her and she missed the broadcast entirely. She said, “I heard the quotation read in a summary of the speech. I thought the words sounded familiar and suddenly it dawned on me they were out of my little book.” Minnie Haskins was sixty-four years old when her poem was discovered and it is now among one of the most quoted poetic works from the twentieth century. It’s human nature to reflect on our lives and doubt our own contributions and even underestimate ourselves while our story is still unfolding. However, we must never stop writing, dancing, painting, singing, creating or doing what we love, because even though we may not see the results of our efforts today doesn’t mean there isn’t purpose in our work for tomorrow.
The last few weeks I have listened to many friends express feelings of inadequacy. Many even question if their efforts in life have been of value, meaning or purpose. As I listened to their sentiments and concerns, I remembered Minnie Louise Haskins. Some may know her name, but for most, her name goes unknown even though it was her poem, spoken by King George the VI, that inspired a country facing the perils of war. Minnie wrote, The Gate of the Year, in 1908. It would go undiscovered until 1939 when the Queen brought it to the attention of King George the VI. Even as the King read the lines of her poem which read, “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way,” over the airways, her name would not be discovered until another BBC broadcast announced her as the author some time later. Minnie was unaware that her poem was even being featured in the King’s speech. No one had informed her and she missed the broadcast entirely. She said, “I heard the quotation read in a summary of the speech. I thought the words sounded familiar and suddenly it dawned on me they were out of my little book.” Minnie Haskins was sixty-four years old when her poem was discovered and it is now among one of the most quoted poetic works from the twentieth century. It’s human nature to reflect on our lives and doubt our own contributions and even underestimate ourselves while our story is still unfolding. However, we must never stop writing, dancing, painting, singing, creating or doing what we love, because even though we may not see the results of our efforts today doesn’t mean there isn’t purpose in our work for tomorrow.
"And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."