Traditionally, the fourth Thursday of November is set aside for the celebration of Thanksgiving. However, every day is a reason to pause and give thanks for our many blessings and to even sing songs of praise to Him from whom all blessings flow.

How can a person behold the majesty and splendor of God’s creation and not have a song of praise in his or her heart? Perhaps this is a question like the one that Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917) might have asked when at the age of 29 he penned the words to the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth.” Along with such hymns as “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” and “We Gather Together,” this is a hymn often sung during the Thanksgiving holiday period in many churches in America.

The traditional day of Thanksgiving has passed, but as stated earlier, every day of our lives should be considered a day of Thanks Giving, thus the season of giving thanks never ends. To remind us that we should always show our gratitude for the hand of God in all things, Amy Hansen published a beautiful video on her YouTube channel on 24 November 2016 called “For the Beauty of The Earth.” Using the trailhead in the mountains of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and its magnificent scenery as a backdrop, Amy reminds us that even nature itself in all its splendor sings praises to its Creator.

Speaking about the creation of the video, Amy said, “I get inspiration as a pianist and composer through many ways in my life. Sometimes I ask a friend what their favorite hymn is, and sometimes I’m singing in church and feel drawn to arrange that hymn. Other times, I thumb through the hymnbook and see what stands out!” She provides the following backstory.

The Backstory of the Video and Project

When I was writing my latest album, ‘They Call Me Sister: Music for Sister Missionaries,’ I knew I wanted to write an upbeat arrangement of the traditional Thanksgiving hymn, ‘For the Beauty of The Earth!’ It’s one of my favorites! I wanted to write it in a way that was celebrating the beautiful creations of the earth that God had made, and I felt that a fast and flowing tempo and percussive style would help portray that!

I enlisted the talent of Nick Sales as the videographer, and we shot the film on the trailhead in the mountains of Pleasant Grove (my home town)! It was perfect weather although it was filmed in November! We found a beautiful stream on which to position the piano, and the mountain backdrop served as the perfect setting!

I wanted to do this project to help share my thanks for God, His creations, and this special time of year.

This Thanksgiving I have tried to have my family, and I focus on the blessings that come from our Lord. I think that there is a difference between just being thankful, and being thankful to God and recognizing His hand in all things.

As you watch this music video, I want to refer you to the beautiful lyrics of this song.

1. For the beauty of the earth,
 For the beauty of the skies, 
For the love, which from our birth
 Over and around us lies
2. For the beauty of each hour
 Of the day and of the night,
 Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r,
 Sun and moon, and stars of light,
3. For the joy of human love,
 Brother, sister, parent, child,
 Friends on earth, and friends above,
 For all gentle thoughts and mild,
4. 
chorus: Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

Amy also adds this personal message to all who will view her excellent video, “I encourage all of you to give thanks, this Thanksgiving holiday, and throughout the year to our Lord who has provided us with this beautiful earth, and who is the source of all gifts and blessings.”