Morning arrives.
Crashing waves.
Crunchy sand.
Orange and pink sky.
Sea oats blowing in the breeze.
My happy place.
It does not have to be fancy.
It just has to be a beach.
In the solitude of the morning sunrise I listen to the waves and hear those words penned by Horatio G. Spafford:
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.
As I have shared before this is quickly becoming my favorite hymn.
It is well with my soul.
Yes, there is a lot going on in our lives. But that is the case for everyone. Life tends to get more complex as we get older and with an aging mother with dementia I have felt the weight of her progression acutely the past month. When she is not herself I have to continually remind myself of who she really is under the layers of the disease. She is constantly on my mind and I have taken this song as my anthem.
It is well – with my soul. I am resting in the knowledge that nothing is too little or too large to take to God.
My prayers are heard even if I don’t hear an audible response.
Reflecting on the year I have seen the answers to many prayers and even though some are not the answers I expected they are answers all the same.
Life throws curve balls occasionally but the constant anchor in it all is our God who never leaves.
I am holding on to that as this year draws to a close.
I am focusing on the blessings and the good in life.
I am drawing strength from the Anchor.
I am enjoying sunrises and sand between my toes.
It is well with my soul.
;
23 Comments
Leave a commentWhat beautiful encouragement Beth!
Blessings & thanks!
~Lew
Thanks so much, Lew. That means a lot to me. Blessings to you as well.
Beautifully written, Beth Anne. Thinking of you.
Thanks so much, Dianna. I appreciate the thoughts so much. It is definitely a challenging time.
Beth- you give so much encouragement to me and to all of us. I will pray for you.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the good thoughts and prayers. It is what gets me through the tougher times .
Beautiful, just like you! xo
Back at ya! You are one of the sweetest folks I know!
😘
Blessings to you and your family. These two weeks with my mom I will cherish forever. Not always easy but so glad I did it. The future is unknown. The words to the song are indeed comforting. Thanks for posting them and the lovely pictures. XO
I love the you were able to be with your mom and family for so long. That is just wonderful and I loved seeing all of your pictures. Time with family is the best.
I am thankful you are in your happy place, both physically and mentally. I needed to read this. Thank you for the reminder that, even through challenging times, God remains our anchor in the storms.
Audrey, it really is my happy place. God is definitely our anchor and I am reminded of that daily. It seems that so many have really difficult things going on in their lives right now and what do they do if they don’t have a faith that sustains them? I can’t imagine.
Sometimes we are commanded to purposefully focus on the good in life, because the negative can be so very overwhelming. Thanks for the reminder. 💖
Negative can be such a drain. This coming year I choose positivity.
I’m glad you have peace. Love that first photo, the zig zag of color is extraordinary!
It was a gorgeous morning that day. One more sunrise here!
A beautiful written blog, Beth Ann. The Lord will be with your Mother, you, and family. It is well with your soul.
Thank you so much, Shirley. It means a lot to me to know that people are out there supporting me from afar.
Your beach photos are so calming! Happy you are finding some peace as you care for your family. Sending you positive new year vibes.
Thank you so much, Jeni. the beach always calms me and gives me some perspective on life. 2019 is going to be great. I hope you and Jake and your families have a wonderful 2019 as well.
Lovely! I’m so glad that you have been resting in such a lovely place created by our great God for our enjoyment. And I’m thankful to Him for providing you that peace that says “it is well with my soul.” May you be refreshed and invigorated to greet the New Year. Be blessed, my friend!
Thank you so very much. It is indeed well with my soul. Hope yours as well.