Peace Like A River
“I’ve got peace like a river; I’ve got peace like a river in my soul”
“I’ve got love like an ocean; I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul”
“I’ve got joy like a fountain; I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul”
Nostalgia arises when I see and hear the children in Buds Class singing this song wholeheartedly, while swaying to the soothing rhythm of Elizabeth Mitchell’s rendition.
The exact moment when I first heard this song is now a blur. Yet I am certain that credit should be given to my childhood years spent attending Sunday School, which I think reconnected me to this beautiful piece.
When researching the origin of this song, I discovered that it may have stemmed from the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”. This is a hymn that I clearly remember as a child. It was sung by a choir consisting of individuals whom I hold dear to my heart.
It all takes me back to a memory of when I attended the funeral of the wife of one of the choir members who had battled a long illness. “It is well with my soul,” the gentleman, who lost his wife, assuringly said to me before I could even offer my condolences. It seems that while he had been overwhelmed with grief, in order to move forward, he decided to accept things as they were and be at peace with the reality of his profound loss. “We give thanks for what has been and remain hopeful for the days that are yet to come”, he advised my then teenage self.
Since graduating from Sunday School at 12 years old, I have not been inclined to listen to this song, which I heard on my last birthday in my 20’s. Faced with confusion and the fear of uncertainty, a friend told me that when we have big decisions to make, a tune will play in our head and that tune will guide you.
I was anxious about the tune that should have been playing in my head and couldn’t “hear” anything during that period. It was a rainy Monday night when I remember walking back to the train station after making a decision that filled me with doubts and then………. a tune started playing in my head. At first, I could not make out the lyrics of the tune playing until I hummed it and the words came flowing in.
“Peace like a river, peace like a river in my soul” and in that instant, I felt that all was well, and I was eager to take on the days to come.
Recently, on one of those “When it rains, it pours” kind of days in Buds Class, I instinctively played Elizabeth Mitchell’s rendition of “Peace Like A River”. I needed it to help me think clearly about the next step to take in order help settle the children. And it worked.
Since then, the song now seemingly serves as a cue for the Buds Children to pause, take a breath, and feel calm. Over the past few weeks, my colleagues and I have witnessed the children “using” the song in their own special way and it has filled our hearts.
I would like to share with you another story that one of my colleagues recounted when we were in the park one day. She and two Buds children heard an unfamiliar banging like sound which gradually became louder. One child appeared curious while the other one looked somewhat concerned. The one who was curious started to sing “Peace like a river in my soul” while patting her chest. Parents have also shared with us in their daily notes, that they hear their child singing lyrics that sounded like, “joy in the mountains”.
Finally, I recall being asked by a mentor, “What do you want children to learn as they journey into a future that is unknown?” As if navigating through life itself was not enough to be swayed with its uncertain complexities, the current situation took it to a level higher. Yet just like the simile that the song embodies… may we have peace that is ever flowing, love that is wide, and bursting joy to be continually nurtured within ourselves and radiated towards others.
Here’s a YouTube link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=329t5D3ZTaw
Written by Erika Que (Buds Class teacher) on December 16, 2021
