This hymn meant a lot to me when we sang it at church last week. It’s taken from Psalm 46. Its melody has been with me for over a week now, and its words also really resonated with me. Here are the words below. But you can also see them on a blank page here. It’s interesting how these words Catharina von Schlegel wrote over 150 years are still so immensely applicable to my heart.

And if you want to listen to it, go here to open an iTunes 30 second snippet. Be still…

“Be Still, My Soul”
by Catharina von Schlegel, 1697-?
Translated by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Hymn #651
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 46:10
Author: Catharine Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752, cento
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1855
Titled: “Stille, mein Wille”
Composer: Jean Sibelius, b. 1865, arr.
Tune: “Finlandia”

I received this letter in the mail at work. Sent from Denver, but it didn’t have a return address. It is a card, with no writing inside. Just my address hand-written on the front. It was weird, however, the weirdness has turned into an inspiration.

I am a perfectionist. At times I think that’s an understatement. But this letter has given me a bit of inspiration to not be quite as extreme of a perfectionist. I didn’t even tweak the scan of the card that is shown here (even though the background is streaky). See, I’m trying.

So, it also inspired me to get this website up and running (leaving out ooooh so many details) and just to start. So, here I am–back on the web. And there you are reading this!

(Just so you know, friend, I think I know who you are who sent the card. But I do thank you.)

I’m passing it along. My valentine letter from me to you. Maybe it will be your best valentine? Your most inspirational?: What would YOU do if you didn’t have to do it perfectly? What would YOU do if you could just do it and do it today?

(By the way, since I’m doing this and not doing it perfectly, this website does not work in Windows on Internet Explorer very well. And many many links don’t work. I’ll get to it when I get to it. “wink”)

www.tinaj.com - Tina designed the notecard featured here

Some other people who have allowed themselves to be asked this question:
the artist’s way (message board)
livelusciously.com
www.drogrady.com

I’ve looked around on the internet for “what it’s like to be a Kentuckian” and can’t really find a good list, so I thought I’d collect a bit here.

For me to be a Kentuckian (or in my case a Central Kentuckian) means:

• that you feel weird when the road is wider than one lane
• that green is your absolute favorite color, it is essential to your soul
• that even if you say you don’t like bluegrass music, you still tap your feet and find yourself humming the tune
• that you believe horses are people too
• that even if you don’t like sports, you do like basketball (it’s in a league of its own)
• that folk art can be fine art; very, very fine art
• that spring, summer, and fall rain can be refreshing when you’re sitting on a back porch
• that you’re asked in every other state why you don’t have an accent

A GOOD QUOTE:

Bluegrass music is the sound of Kentucky to me…….from the high lonesome mountains to the rolling horse farms & the endless river towns I feel that it belongs to Kentucky…..and I am so proud to be from Kentucky. - Larry Cordle, Bluegrass Musician