Windows of Gold

There is a legend that has often been told
Of the boy who searched for the Windows of Gold.

The beautiful windows he saw far away
When he looked in the valley at sunrise each day.
And he yearned to go down to the valley below
But lived on a mountain that was covered with snow.
And he knew it would be a difficult trek,
But that was a journey he wanted to make.

So he planned by day and he dreamed by night
Of how he could reach The Great Shining Light.
And one golden morning when dawn broke through
And the valley sparkled with diamonds of dew,
He started to climb down the mountainside
with the Windows of Gold as his goal and his guide.

He traveled all day and, weary and worn,
With bleeding feet and clothes that were torn,
He entered the peaceful valley town,
Just as the golden sun went down.
But he seemed to have lost his "Guiding Light,"
The windows were dark that had once been bright.

And hungry and tired and lonely and cold
He cried, "Won't You Show Me the Windows of Gold?"
And a kind hand touched him and said, "Behold!
High On The Mountain Are The Windows of Gold."
For the sun going down in a great golden ball
Had burnished the windows of his cabin so small.

And the Kingdom of God with its Great Shining Light,
Like the Golden Windows that shone so bright
Is not a far distant place, somewhere,
It's as close to you as a silent prayer.
And your search for God will end and begin
When you look for Him and find Him within.
　
by Helen Steiner Rice