Some words are lovely in themselves. “Vespers” is one of those words. The definition for vespers is prayers sung or said in the late afternoon. It can be thought of as evening worship. A friend and I agree that this word brings feelings of peace. We are thankful for the day and trust Him for the night.
So many beautiful words are out of date now; old-fashioned, like the horse and buggy. Nevertheless they are words that are rich in meaning.
When I think of vespers, I can see clearly the ending of the day on the farm. I hear a cowbell as the cows come slowly from the pasture down to the barn. It’s milking time. Chappo the horse comes with them. For him, it’s time to eat; it’s suppertime. And, after Dad milks, it’s suppertime for the Day family too.
The sun is about to dip below the trees west of the house. Mom puts the finishing touches on supper, strains the milk that Dad brings up from the barn, and we all, Dad, Mom, my little brother and I sit down to supper. It’s a simple meal: cornbread and biscuits (Mom always baked two kinds of bread for supper), brown beans, milk and butter and a chocolate pie, homemade of course. A feeling of peace settles over the small house under the big oak trees. The family is together. The day is done.
Vespers brings to mind other words too: eventide, the time after the sun sets; gloaming, a Scottish word meaning evening dusk; and twilight, the soft light just after sunset.
One of the most beautiful and yet saddest love songs is “In the Gloaming”, written in 1877 by Meta Orred and Annie F. Harrison. It begins, “In the gloaming, oh my darling, when the lights are dim and low; And the quiet shadows falling, softly come and softly go…”
Tonight the quiet shadows will still come and go softly, the evening lights will grow dim and low as the day takes its leave. It will be a time for quiet reflection, a time for vespers.
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