It Is Well With My Soul

We are in the midst of a late October storm and whenever it turns gray and rainy outside I always seem to sing hymns. Not sure why this is the case, but the one in my mind is, "It Is Well With My Soul". 

When I was in college we had a song leader that would give the history behind some of the hymns before we sang them and I learned quite a bit about some of our hymns because of that and I appreciated them so much more. 

This one was written by Horatio Spafford after he suffered a great financial loss during the Great Chicago Fire and shortly after losing all four of his daughters at sea when their vessel struck another and swiftly sank. You can read his story here.

Composed by Philip Bliss the song is beautifully arranged and conveys such peace in knowing that this is not the end for us, no matter what happens in this world, we have the saving Grace of Christ and He will one day return for us in Glory!

It Is Well With My Soul

(Original lyrics)^[1]

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,^a

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

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,

A song in the night, oh my soul! ^b

^a "know" (at the end of the third line) was changed to "say".

^b "A song in the night, oh my soul" (last line)

was changed to "Even so, it is well with my soul".

First Fall Fest of the Season

One of my family's favorite towns had their annual Canal Days this weekend, officially kicking off this seasons Fall Fests. This place is amazing! There are a lot of antique stores to visit with one of them being so huge and awesome, I'd need a full day to really look at all the things they have. 

I had a friend with me this time and we hadn't gone two steps into this large antique store before finding a wall of baskets full of buttons. We could have easily spent an hour on just sorting through all those buttons. So many cool vintage items there and I already know when I go back what I'm picking up because there was more than one item I was bereft to leave behind. 

I did find these great clip-ons. And for 5 bucks I don't think I did too shabby. The aqua colored ones have a couple of crystal chips missing, but that's alright, they still look fabulous on. 

This was the really neat stairwell in that large antique mall. I fell in love with the railing and this site was common in many of the buildings in town. Just wonderful, rustic materials everywhere! 

One of my favorite buildings in this little city is the Vinton House. 

This building was once a hotel used by guests going up and down the Whitewater Canal. It has a small ballroom on the second floor and the various sized rooms really make you wish you knew how it was set up back in it's heyday. Today it's a two-story antique store with the third floor a museum. Really neat!

Having my children with me and one of them being especially cranky I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would've liked. I plan on going back for their Antique Fair in October and I'll be leaving the kiddies with the hubby :) 

I'll have to write more on this little city after my next excursion, because there really is SO much history here, I love it! 

Bike Ride

Oh how I love to ride a bike. Especially the old cruiser type bikes. 

Few things are more enjoyable for me than a leisurely ride early in the morning when I just need some "me" time. A nice place to ride a bike around here, strangely enough, is the local cemetery. It's actually a very nice cemetery and very popular for walkers and runners. It's always fun to read the interesting old-fashioned names that aren't around anymore and wondering what their stories were. 

It was beautiful this morning with amazing temperatures. Getting so close to Fall we're getting into the low 50's at night and early mornings and I love it! A few things this bike could use is an awesome basket, bell and light. One day!