I Needed the Quiet

I needed the quiet so He drew me aside,
Into the shadows where we could confide;
Away from the hustle where all the day long
I hurried and worried when active and strong.

I needed the quiet though at first I rebelled'
But gently, so gently, my cross He upheld,
And whispered so sweetly of spiritual things,
Though weakened in body my spirit took wings
To heights never dreamed of when active and strong.
He loved me so gently He drew me along.

I needed the quiet, no prison my bed
But a beautiful valley of blessing instead;
A place to grow richer, in Jesus to hide,
I needed the quiet so He drew me aside.

                                by Alice Hansche Mortenson (1898-1988)  Racine, Wisconsin, USA

This poem, in my scrapbook, is in a cutting I took from 'The Universe' for Sunday February 1990.
It claims that the poem was written by Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, towards the end of his life; but a little research has now led me to correctly ascribe the work to Alice Hansch Mortenson.