We could do no better in introducing this talk than to quote Martha Snell Nicholson’s poem:
Let me hold lightly things of this earth,
Transient treasures, what are they worth?
Moths can corrupt them, rust can decay,
All their bright beauty fades in a day.
Let me hold lightly temporal things,
I who am deathless, I who wear wings.
Let me hold fast, Lord, things of the skies,
Quicken my vision, open my eyes.