It is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way(The Ohio River about to overflow it's banks-- May 1, 2011)

When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

(rainbow-- April 28, 2011)

The words above are not mine, but from a favorite hymn of mine, penned in the 1870's. Charles Spafford wrote the words to It is Well with My Soul when he crossed over the spot in the Atlantic Ocean where all four of his daughters died in a shipwreck. Part of the lyrics were also inspired by the great Chicago fire of 1871, which ruined Spafford's family financially (prior to his daughters' deaths).

I feel like it's my theme song lately. First there was Eric getting laid off from work. Right now it just feels like he's on vacation. I haven't slept well since Friday. You'd think a company that had to lay people off would hand a person their severance check on his way out the door. But there's paperwork. And more paperwork to cash out the small annuity. And things that have to be notarized. And faxed (which costs $2.50 at Kinko's because we don't have a fax machine). And then waiting. We could be waiting up to a month for this stuff. So I agonized over every thing I put in my cart at the grocery store last weekend because I didn't want to overspend. We may have 4 weeks to get through before we get some breathing room. And before I finally get some sleep.

Then there was today. My great aunt passed away. This is the second great aunt I've lost this year. The first, my great Aunt Barb (my dad's aunt) passed away in April. She was in her 60's and I really didn't get to know her until I was an adult because she lived in Tucson and didn't come back to Ohio often. But she was an amazing woman. Today, it was my great Aunt Mickey (not her real name, just what we've always called her-- my mom's aunt). She went in for surgery on her tongue, came out of the surgery okay but in pain, asked for pain medicine, and then coded. They couldn't get her stabilized again. She was 87. And because she only lived across the river in Kentucky, I saw her more often growing up.

I'm glad she got to meet both of my kids (with Cate above)-- meeting Brennan most recently when my mom, grandma, the kids, and Aunt Mickey trekked down to Stanton, Kentucky for the day to visit my grandma and aunt's oldest sister (they are all pictured below-- Aunt Mickey is on the right).
And all I can do today is echo the words that "it is well with my soul." I know my great aunt is in Heaven today. But I am sad that she is no longer here on Earth and that she'll miss our family reunion this summer.

I know that things will be okay with Eric and I and the whole work thing (seriously, he's fine about losing his job, it's just the whole getting his severance and annuity that are stressing me out). I know we'll make it through this and that next school year will be great with him at home taking care of our two precious treasures and that God will provide whatever we need in this weird in between time when I'm still on unpaid maternity leave. I'm happy to have Eric home and these next several weeks are a blessing for our family to have so much time together-- even if it wasn't exactly how we had planned for things to go.

And I love the last verse of the song:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Because in the end, God is good, and that's all I know. Even when the storms are raging and "sorrows like sea billows roll." Because whatever happens, it is well with my soul. I'll be in Heaven one day too and oh what rejoicing there will be!

The psalmist wrote, weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some joy around here.

~Melody :-)

Pouring my heart out with Shell today.