A single time and place cannot
Suffice to tell of whence I am;
My creed in life and mode to thought
Depend on Hist’ry’s breadth and span.
In the beginning was the Word;
And from the Word was life and light.
Then many saw and thought to praise,
To spread the Word with all their might.
They told of how the poor in life,
Would one day be at Heaven’s throne.
They told of how all fallen men,
In grace could to the Lord be shown.
This message soon caught wind and brought
The nations to be thither drawn.
The men of old profoundly wrote,
Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν.
[Pisteuomen eis hena theοn]
Each generation has its group–
A people likewise called to be:
By seeking Truth and holding fast,
Tradition thus was brought to me.
From Mother, was I schooled and fed:
She taught me well to act with care;
She taught devotion toward what’s true;
From Mother, was I made repair.
From Father, brought to me was grace:
He gave me time and worked through shame;
He gave me grounds for discipline;
From Father, I learned self to claim.
From Grandpa, was I shown to love:
He taught me scripture, yearn for truth;
He taught me wisdom when in need;
From Grandpa, I escaped my youth.
From those I know, I came to be;
They gave me music, pause for thought;
They gave me insight, far beyond;
From those I know, in likeness caught.
From those unknown, I’ve known the World:
They taught me Nature, how men act;
They taught me happ’nings past to now;
From those unknown, I’ve settled fact.
From Wednesday club, foundations built:
It gave me stories of the Word;
It gave me peers of holy creed;
From Wednesday club, of joy I heard.
From Sunday service, I have grown:
It taught commitment to a pack;
It taught to share in others’ lives;
From Sunday service, what men lack.
So I am from not time nor place,
But from the Word, the breadth of all:
From morning meals to ev’ning prayers,
Ι come from Old Tradition’s call.