“When peace like a river attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll,

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well; it is well with my soul.”*

This hymn was softly playing on my sister’s phone when my dad took his final breath last week. My sisters and I were holding his thin hands, listening beyond the music to his ragged breathing. We had told him a few minutes earlier not to worry, that we would be all right. I said, “We’ll be here, Daddy. We’ll walk with you as far as we can.” And we did. As he let go and stopped struggling to breathe, a deep peace carried all of us, and as the last phrase of the hymn drifted across us, he drifted away. “It is well; it is well with my soul.”

May peace, deep and buoyant as a gentle, restful river carry you through this day and all the days to come and assure you that truly, it is well.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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*Written by Horatio G. Spafford, public domain

Text and photos © 2023 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.