These Are the Gifts I Ask

     These are the gifts I ask
     Of Thee, Spirit serene:
     Strength for the daily task,
     Courage to face the road,
Good cheer to help me bear the travel-
   ler's load,
And, for the hours of rest that come
   between,
An inward joy in all things heard and
   seen.
     These are the sins I fain
     Would have Thee take away:
     Malice, and cold disdain,
     Hot anger, sullen hate,
Scorn of the lowly, envy of the great,
And discontent that casts a shadow
   gray
On all the brightness of a common day.

     ~ Henry Van Dyke

Heart Gifts

It's not the things that can be bought
   that are life's richest treasure,
It's just the little "heart gifts"
   that money cannot measure . . .

A cheerful smile, a friendly word,
   a sympathetic nod
Are priceless little treasures
   from the storehouse of our God . . .

They are the things that can't be bought
   with silver or with gold,
For thoughtfulness and kindness
   and love are never sold . . .

They are the priceless things in life
   for which no one can pay,
And the giver finds rich recompense
   in giving them away.

           ~ Helen Steiner Rice