Little Drops of Water

In 1845, Julia Carney, a Boston schoolteacher, wrote this poem as she was preparing a Bible lesson. She wanted to emphasize the value of small things. The poem was later included in a McGuffey's Reader and became world famous.

Little drops of water,
little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean
and the beauteous land.

And the little moments,
humble though they may be,
make the mighty ages
of eternity.

Little deeds of kindness,
little words of love,
make our earth an Eden,
like the heaven above.

So our little errors
lead the soul away,
from the paths of virtue
into sin to stray.

Little seeds of mercy
sown by youthful hands,
grow to bless the nations
far in heathen lands.

Glory then for ever
be to God on high,
beautiful and loving,
to eternity.

~Julia Fletcher Carney (1823-1908)