Then Sings My Soul

Sitting in the funeral home yesterday with Michael and the girls, I went from one extreme of emotion to the other.  Literally.  We sat close to the back because we didn't know the sweet lady who died, but we did know her sister's family, so we were really there to support them.

Michael usually wears a hat.  Either a cowboy hat or a baseball cap.  Since we were in the funeral home, the hat was in his hand.  I looked over at him and his hair was kind of sticking up in the front, so my eyes went straight to the wayward hair.  I didn't have glasses on so I looked at it longer than I probably should have and he had this look on his face with his eyebrows up, staring right at me and said, "Don't laugh".

He should have never said that.

You know how it is.  

Funeral home  +  wayward hair  +  "don't laugh"  =  uncontrollable laughter.

Oh, it wasn't out loud - except for one little squeak - but I'll tell you what:  I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time.  Too bad I picked that place to do it.

My shoulders were bouncing up and down for a good two minutes.  Tears running down my cheeks, my face all wadded up.

Started a chain reaction:  from Hannah right beside me, to Leah, and on to Rachel.  All sitting there with shoulders bumping up and down.  Not Michael.  He had a smile on his face but he was the king of control.

It was over as soon as it started.  I composed myself as the minister started the service.

There were two women sitting on the row behind us, down the pew a ways.  The younger of the two would talk throughout the service but you couldn't understand her.  I figured out that it was a mother and daughter.  The daughter was probably close to 40 and had special needs.

Close to the end of the service, a song was played that touched this daughter's heart.  And mine.  I didn't realize it until after the first couple of lines:

Oh Lord, my God

When I, in awesome wonder

I heard her as she began to sing along.

Consider all the works Thy hand has made.

Then she was quiet a little bit.

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then, even though her words I wouldn't have understood if I didn't know the song, she sang:

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee,

HOW GREAT THOU ART !  HOW GREAT THOU ART !

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee,

HOW GREAT THOU ART !  HOW GREAT THOU ART !

She didn't hit every word, but there is no doubt her heart knew every word.  She had a connection to her Lord we all should envy.

She probably never went to public school, knows nothing of politics or world events, but she knows the Creator of the Universe.  Personally.  And she told Him how great He was. It almost felt like we were eavesdropping on her conversation with her Savior.

Blessed my heart.

I started the service with tears of laughter and ended the service with tears of praise to the Father for blessing me with a song from a beautiful heart. 

Then sings my soul . . . . . . . . . HOW GREAT THOU ART !

Beautiful.