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When the Tempest Rages

Jul 16, 2021 | Musings, new

Map of disasters color-coded by disaster type - Wikidata Query Service as of 2018-07-14Fires on one side of the world; flooding on the other; disasters worldwide and a pandemic that insists on hanging around to go with them all.

Yeah, the tempests are raging.

The words to the new song, “Peace, Peace, Be Still,” were written during a time when I thought my life was a bit stormy. I had just had hand surgery–a sore trial for a songwriter–so I decided to use my one-handed time writing hymn texts. This one may or may not have been written in a fit of Poor-Little-Me Self-Indulgence. 😉

Katherine Wright took on the job of setting the lyrics musically–which is just one of the reasons I love her so much. It’s also why it’s so lovely.

Rebecca Lord, a newcomer to the site, sings the vocals.

Rebecca is an erstwhile BYU-Idaho music faculty member and has done some amazing things with her talents. Her rendition is beautiful.

As Katherine put it, “She sings it like we wrote it just for her.”

Here’s a video featuring Rebecca’s vocals, and a painting called, appropriately enough, “Peace, Peace, Be Still” by Natasha Nashadka, from start to finish in time-lapse:

I love the feeling of immensity in the clouds, and I love the obvious brightness behind them even more. It’s a great symbol.

Well, the Lord helped me through my little tempest, it blew over, and that was why the song happened…. right?

Right?????

How naive we humans can be.

After a year of vague uncertainty, and increasing pain and symptoms, my daughter (who lives here with us) was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She’s rather young for this particular cancer, so we’re hopeful she can beat it. Watching her endure surgery, then chemotherapy and more uncertainty, has sent me running (again) to my Savior–my refuge and the harbor of my soul. The winds are still blowing, but He’s giving us the strength to stand before the gale.

One of the ways He has given me that strength is by putting others in my path who have tempests of their own to deal with. They say “misery loves company.” I like to think of it another way: we can lift one another better when we know each other’s stories.

The song is available for hymn, for medium-voice solo, and for SATB choir.

Up next: yet another song I’ve been working on for months… and months… Who knows how long this one will take to post? 😉

 

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