I saw Caroline today

What a precious young girl she has become. I am pleased to be her father, but at once, not pleased; I have not been there for her and raised her as a father should. Walking along the beach with her tonight, and enjoying the beauty of the night, nature, and my child, I hope that she will value nature highly when she is grown. I wrote her this poem.

IT is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity;
The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea:
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder--everlastingly.
Dear Child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,
If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,
Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year;
And worship'st at the Temple's inner shrine,
God being with thee when we know it not.

Therefore, my dear daughter, although I cannot be with you, I hope this much for you. Hold on to your child's reverence for nature. Soak it in, become closer to God simply by breathing in this salty air. Don't allow high thoughts to cause you to demean this essential force which we are all a part of. The best to you, my small love.