From the beginning, May Bailey had an issue with the fact that Hub’s mother, Honey, was a Roman Catholic. The Bailey family had always been stout Presbyterians and May did not like the fact that Honey had decided to raise her boys in the Catholic Church.
But an element that was even stronger than these disagreements was the underlying Christian values that permeated the series. Here is a poem from the book Footprints, which demonstrates sentiments that any member of the Bailey family would have agreed with. “Day by Day” was written by Lina Sandell Berg, a Swedish writer of Gospel hymns.
Day by Day
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what he deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me he made.
Help me then in ev’ry tribulation
So to trust thy promises, O Lord.
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within thy holy word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the day, the moment’s fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.
