Friday, September 26, 2008

It's Johnny Appleseed's Birthday!


"Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – February 18, 1845), was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He became an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, his great leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance of apples." ~from Wikipedia

Johnny Appleseed’s Song

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need:
The sun, and the rain and the appleseed;
Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

Oh, and every seed I sow
Will grow into a tree.
And someday there'll be apples there
For everyone in the world to share.
Oh, the Lord is good to me.

Oh, here I am 'neath the blue, blue sky
Doing as I please.
Singing with my feathered friends
Humming with the bees.
Oh, the Lord is good to me.

I wake up every day,
As happy as can be,
Because I know that with His care
My apple trees, they will still be there.
The Lord's been good to me.

I wake up every day,
As happy as can be,
Because I know the Lord is there
Watchin' over all my friends and me.
The Lord is good to me.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant.”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple,
but only God can count the apples in a seed! :-)

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com
"Apples in a Wood Bowl" by Peggy Thatch-Sibley