April 22, 2014. Ridgeland, Mississippi. Upbringing.

I am always surprised how my upbringing impacts my present life, especially during times of stress. Things I had thought I had forgotten long ago, often pop into my mind at unexpected moments. Many times they bring comfort. In the middle of the night , tossing and turning with anxiety and grief, the words of an old hymn came to my mind. The poet had just been told that his four children had perished in a fire. In his grief, he went to a church to find solice and he wrote: When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whenever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. I discovered, surprisingly, that it was well with my soul. What a gift my background has given me, at my advanced years.