question for help about a hymn please?
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| Tue, 04-10-2007 - 5:16pm |
Dear People
I have never come here, but some may know me from other forums on ivillage.
an acquaintance has recently lost her only son... and during her trip back home to Indonesia, the family held a memorial service at the 40th day after his death. Something that we are accustomed to do, when a person dies.
One of the songs sung at this service was Amazing Grace.. I followed the movie which she placed on that website..
I however, mentioned to her, that she might be better served, to keep up her strength, with the hymn which I have heard in the past, which was sung by some people, AFTER the hymn, Amazing grace was sung. It is supposed to be the answer and composed many decenia after Amazing grace was composed and popularized.
Does anybody, know of this song please? For the person who is grieving has asked me to find it for her, because I told her? that when I had a devasting message about my youngest son's disease? That it was that song/hymn, which carried me through the difficult and heartbreaking months. I said, that I like the words particularly, as they geave help on low days etc.
I used to know it years ago as: " The answer to Amazing Grace"..
kind rebards, powderbrush in canada

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Dear Miriam.
thanks kindly for your thoughtful words. ah, so you are jewish? I have a niece, my half borther's daughter? who I had left behind in the Netherlands, when I immigrated to Canada, now 39 years ago.
When she was in the midst of her studies to become a nurse? She had to look after a Jewish Lady, from Israel, who had come back to the Nls, from Israel, for surgery.. When this lady went back home to Israel? my niece went along to look after her there.. There is where my niece met her present hubbie... spend one whole year in a kibbutz, learning all about Jewishm (is this how you write it?) and became a Jewess, a follower in one of the orthodox sexts of the Jewish religion. Jakobich or some such word, forget it now.
Anyway, she has been there at least now, 30 years...
Has a lovely hub.. actually, her sisters have been over to Israel a number of times, and the meeting with their brother-in-law, has been very very well indeed.
Then? I? live in a jewish community, here... have doen so for 16 years now.. There are Jewish people from Russia here and then there are the Cdn. Jewish people.. Many synagogues are round about me and special Jewish school and daycare centres and community halls as well...
I know that especially the Russian jewish people have a particularly more cheerful sabbath every weekend, than the Cdn. ones.. There is lots of singing always coming from their decks and gardens, expecially with sukkot.. I am always very interested and look at them from afar, so as not to interfere into their private lives, I used to know some hebrew, before my encounter with my excellerated heartbeat, which removed my ability to speak, french, german and hebrew from me.
Had to re teach myself my own Dutch and Indonesian langueage as well as english..
sooooo, I have Jewish great nephews and one great niece... have tried google, didn't get anywhere, as am not good at knowing what kind of words to put down for a google search. but I know? given time? I might yet? encounter it!
greets and kind regards, from brush in Canada
THIS IS THE ONE!!!
OOOOOH! Do you know the words? and could you mail them to me? please?
aaah, I knew it? it would come!!!!!!!!!!!!
am in your debt! kind regards and greets from brush!!!
am soooo touch with this!! endless thanks!!!!
from brush
((((brush))))
Where in Canada do you live? I too, live in Canada, the province of Quebec. You asked me about the spelling and it is spelt Judism.
I am not a very relglious person, though I do light candles for Friday night sabbath,& I do celebrate the Jewish holidays. My late mother wasn't a very religious women either, but she kept a kosher home, kept 4 sets of dishes, 2 sets were for everyday use, but one was for meat and the other set was for dairy. The other 2 sets were kept for Passover. When I got married the first time round, I kept a kosher home for about 2 years, but then stopped as I found it very difficult and very expensive to buy kosher meats. I feel that I am a good person, whether Jewish or not, whether I am strictly kosher or not, as long as I have some beliefs and I keep some kind of traditions which I do. I was married to a Jewish man for over 20 years and I was miserable, had a terrible life with him. I now am married to a wonderful, gentleman who is French and I love him to death. He is soooo great and loving, and he enjoys the Jewish holidays and respects my beliefs aswell. I also have a christmas tree as I feel that he should have some kind of symbol of his holidays aswell.
I wish that I knew someone that knew the prayer you are talking about. I will ask around, as I have many friends that are not of the Jewish faith, and they may know what prayer you are referring to. I will get back to you on that.
Love, Miriam
D****! I'd have never recognized it from your description, but felt compelled to mention it.
When peace, like a river decendeth 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"
Chorus:
It is well (x2) with my soul(x2)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin (Oh the joy of this glorious thought)
My sin, not the part, but the whole
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
CHORUS
Oh Lord haste the day that faith shall be sight
the clouds be rolled back, as a scroll
The Trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul.
CHORUS
(I might be missing a verse there, but you get the point)
The story behind the song is fully as compelling as Amazing Grace.
The man was on a sea voyage, I believe to the funeral of wife & children who had died at sea.
Ok, I got a few details wrong Wikipedia link (includes an external link below of a sound file)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_With_My_Soul
Edited 4/15/2007 11:18 am ET by ca_dreamer
Dear CaDreamer
many many thanks for sending me the link to wikipedia and the lyrics. I knew that if I placed a request at ivillage somewhere, somebody, would be able to come up with the title and the lyrics and that my brain would immediately recognize it.
Right now, am sorry to say, am short of time, but soon, I will tell about how this hymn with some other things, helped me to get over the fact, that not too long ago, I was informed of the short lifespan of my youngest son.
I will now print off these lyrics and post them on my bulletin board, so that I won't forget it again. I also thought, that it might be a good thing, to visit a christian bookstore upon my return from Europe. to look for a CD where these two songs will be on, hopefully.
God Bless and all things good and kind to all here, who helped with this search.
greets from brush
Hallo Miriam
I live in Thornhill, northwest of Toronto, bordering on Toronto. We are now no longer on our own, as former Prime minister Harris, combined many towns and cities together when his party was in.
So we're now called, The city of Vaughan.
I live in a jewish community, but everybody here is what I would call Orthodox. You know? with the curlykews, and the tassels etc etc etc?
I must be honesst, when I came to live here? I wasn't at all prejudiced.. But now, am not so sure! Because the people here in this community have been taught, that they cannot even say, good morning or good evening to those of us, who aren't jewish.
So I didn't know anything about this teaching and was wondering why people weren't even looking me in the eye and just passing me by as if I had leprosy. Then one neighbour, who isn't orthodox, told me. I was never so flabbergasted.
Imagine? not being allowed to just greet, ones fellow neighbour, just because your rabbi teaches it...............
YET!! I have worked quite well with jewish women and had great rapport with them and went out to lunches with them.
Am an immigrant to this country and I came to Canada, because it is a big country and I have a real fear of war. As when I was a child I know horror from the Japanese occupation. I have seen real tortures happening to people and cold blooded mass murder. Also suffered from discrimination. So prejudices and discriminations aren't in my book.. I was very particular about this, when raising my children.
Then in my old age, I discover things like this..and it leaves a person in a great puzzle, but also? what to do now and one becomes very very careful.
My niece in Israel? who is with the Jakobvich sect? has told me, that is indeed what they are taught too there. I don't understand it... but still, I haven't forgotten what happened to them in Europe, during the second world war and can't understand? this kind of teachings.....
I don't understand this, because the Russian people here? THEY DO just talk to us, who aren't of their faith and they themselves keep also to themselves.. I just think that this is not good. People come to Canada, to be safe and good and kind with one another, not to be taught this sort of thing..
Now you are here and yet, you are friendly etc etc etc.. it makes me even more confused, how this can be?
I try to be friendly to all, whom I meet in my life, especially since I know about the horrors of war and let me tell you, what I have experienced as a child has been with me all my life as I suffer from nightly nightmares about it!!! and even have had war trauma therapy at the Canadian Centre for Victims of War Trauma and War Torture.... so am not just barking up a tree.
I don't understand why some people in the Jewis faith/culture should be taught this.. and others are not? I always thought that everybody was one.
My niece even tells me, that only because I am n great-aunt of hers, that she is allowed to socialize with me and with her sisters and mother, otherwise she isn't allowed to either... it makes a person get mighty confused, I tell you.
I too, have been married. This is my third hub, and we have now lasted 16 years... we both ought to be decorated with a medal! am sure...as it wasn't easy, to live a multi-cultured life!
But am not sorry that I came to Canada and have been able to raise my children in great safety and some comfort.
I too, at one time, belonged to a very very strict christian community, but left it quickly. I found it chocking and not at all, as I believed, Christians ought to be... I found this group very judgemental and prejudiced too, and not really respecting of other's right to freedom of religion.
Now in my old age? am back to my own cultural religion. and am much more at peach. I still use some of the christian principles which I was taught as a child and later as an adult, but am not choking anymore.
I know quite a bit about the jewish people and their lives (trials and tribulations) through the centuries. Simply because it had always fascinated me. I always wanted to learn and know more about other cultures and religions too and also have learned from it. As it is, I don't even think that many people know that during the second world war, per capita, more Jewis people, survived in the Netherlands than in any other country in Europe. Due to the fact that we, as Dutch people, in the 1500s have fought for 100 years, for freedom of religion from King Charles Vth and King Philip II of Spain.
It was during those years that Jewish people fled to the Netherlands as King Philip II persecuted them.
In the Netherlands, after the second world war, it was really imprinted on the children of the country, what sacrifices had been made and that many lives had been spilled by Most of all the Canadian soldiers and the Americans in the south.
So, when one has experienced prejudices in ones youth and ones life? it comes across puzzling that this should exist in a country where one thinks, one is free of it... and even meet people who are taught this.
I have nothing against jewish people, as a matter of fact? I wish they could teach me a whole lot more. about their believes, as I find it all very interesting.
Anyway, this is my little experience here and am sad about this.
I have also worked with French Candians, from Montreal, at the time that Rene Levegue was going for independence for quebec.... hihi, I used to watch him with great interest and found him a marvellous politician.. I was still young then and not all that long in Canada.
My experiences with Quebecers has always been very good, and especially, their cooking has always interested me greatly and they taught me a lot, when they used to invite me to their homes to dinner. My french even improved since I had not been able to speak it, until they came to work in Toronto, in the 70s. It was with British Petroleum that we all worked together.. we had a great deal of fun too at work.
but now my french and my german is all gone, due to my heart problem.. can't sometimes even speak english or dutch all that well either, because of my heart problem.
I hope that I haven't offended anybody, least of all, you Miriam? as that was not my intention, Tis just that I am soo confused about this matter and I don't seem to be able to break through this. Or how to make my Jewis neighbours understand, that it is all right to say good morning or hello, when one meet one another. that's all.
greets and shalom (as it is friday today), from brush
Hello Brush,
I was very good friends with this girl many many years ago and then she moved to Toronto and she too lives in Thornhill (Vaughen). We had lost touch with each other when she moved away from Montreal. It was too bad as we were such good friends and she was such a lovely girl. I am not sure if she still resides there or not.
I have to tell you a story. When my mom passed away 2 years ago, my brother had this Rabbi who is orthodox. do the services. I know this particular Rabbi and I do not like him at all , whether he was orthodx or not. My husband is not of the Jewish faith, he is French, and when we sat Shiva for my mom (we sit for 7 days to mourn) this Rabbi would not look at him or talk to him and my husband was very insulted by it, as my mom who was 97 years old when she passed away, loved him with all of her heart, and she would of not approved of this Rabbi's actions.
We can not generalize people, no matter what faith they are, as not everyone acts in that way. I believe, it is ok to be religious as much as you want to be, whether you are of the Jewish faith, Catholic, Chrisitan ,or Protestant faith, but......there is no reason or excuse to be rude to another human being.Then again, there are many non Jews that will not talk to them at all, look at the bombing at the Jewish school in Montreal and they destroyed the entire library there. In synogues, if there is an kind of celebrations, they have high security there aswell. That to me is very sad.
So, it is not only the orthodox Jews . That behaviour is found in all faiths. It is very unfortuante and very sad. If we could change the world to be a better place where ever one would and could get along, I would do it in a snap of my fingers. I personally love to be with people in general. I will always have a smile and a hello for everyone.
To answer your question if I was offended, my answer is definitley not. I would imagine that it would be very uncomfortable to live in a sector where no one wants to say hello and good bye. Perhaps, you can try to approach one of your neighbours and talk to them and see what they have to say. I don't know for sure, if they are even brought up in schools or by their parents not to speak to non Jewish people. You may find their answers very surprising. Please let us know if you do and what their responses are.
i know that I live in a wonderful neighbour hood where everyone talks to each other. You walk out the door and there is always a smile and a hello and a good bye, and it is very pleasant. You see, where I am living it is the complete opposite of where you are residing. I am probably the only Jewish person in this town as the majority is all French. All of my neighbours know that I am of the Jewish faith and I feel very much loved and welcomed into this town.
So, good luck with your neighbours, and hopefully you will have good results with your communication with them.
Miriam
John, Pastor(semi retired)friend and good guy, loves hymns, perhaps he will know what the one is she is looking for.
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