I give thee thanks for all I see
That brings me closer still
To love of God and nature
Up here on Apple Hill.
 
There is so much to see and do
And there is so little time.
Let me break the habits
That bind me to my kind.
 
Let me search for new adventure
And fly out from my nest.
Let me know the joys that come
From learning from the rest.
 
And so, my God, I give thee thanks
For all there is to see.
Let me live and love and look
Be all that I can be.
  

Howard E. Sands, Jr.
November 21, 1977