A Hymn

1. It Is Well with My Soul
   When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well, with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, it is well, with my soul.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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!
6. 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.
   
   
   
   

   "It Is Well with My Soul" is a very influential hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.

   
   

   This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871 at the age of four, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone . . .". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.

   
   

   Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.

   
   

   The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. In 1881 the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Israel. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Noble Prize winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lageroff. (from wikipedia)

   
   

   In old and new sorrows, even in joy, this song is running through my head. The story of the writer, Spafford, is heartbreaking. I always like knowing the story behind hymns and songs. What a testimony this song is to so many people, including me. Sometimes it's hard to sing without crying, and other times I can sing it on the top of my lungs. 

   "Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 

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

   
   

   Beautiful, beautiful, song! Have a great day!

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

Baby Steps

Josey started taking steps and walking this past weekend! She falls A LOT, but is getting better and better each day.

I took the video today, she suddenly started walking to me from the living room. She always does great when she's focused on where she's going.

Casey and I agree that it looks strange to see her upright moving around! We're so used to her speed crawling by our feet, that Josey looks so tall wobbling through the house!

What a big girl!! I used to never be able to imagine her doing these things, and here she is walking through the house! I want to hold on so tight to her!

Josey's Favorite Things

Josey loves laundry! I know where she is going when she crawls out of the living room, she is going to check if the laundry room door is open. Josey is just fascinated by the whole process of doing laundry. I don't know where she gets that from, because it is not one of my favorite things to do.

I put Josey on this little footstool so she can watch me sort clothes and switch loads of laundry.

Ahhh! Nothing like jumping onto clothes fresh from the dryer!

Here's Josey and me in the reflection of the wash machine. She could sit here watching the machine for HOURS!

Folding laundry is pretty cool too! Josey's way of "helping" me is to try to empty the basket before I can fold the clothes. Putting laundry away is fun for Josey too. She rides on my back in her baby carrier as I go up and down the stairs. Josey loves watching me open and close the drawers and hang stuff up. This girl just loves the whole process!

Another thing that Josey really enjoys is putting hats on, or anything on her head.

Love the look on her face! Daddy is letting her wear his hat!

Showing me how cool she looks!

Josey got a hold of another hat last night... She showed off her crawling skills with her hat on backwards.

We had family visit recently, and Josey got to get some good cousin bonding time in. 

There was also some much needed sharing time for Josey too!

Both the babies did really good with eachother! It was so fun to watch them play and crawl, and holler back and forth at eachother. I think they both grew up a bit during their time together. 

Josey is such a fun crazy little girl, who is full of new noises, facial expressions, and favorite things every day!