Our Seward Magazine Club dates back to the days when Magazine subscriptions were very costly. A few business people collaborated their selections and then shared information on articles. Currently it seems that “Nebraska Life” is the most popular publication with at least one article from it, reported on at nearly every meeting. However, we no longer limit reports to Magazine articles. Recently a couple reported on a sign that is located in their garden and then told of a new addition. It is a glacial rock with the words of the first verse of the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” engraved in the sliced off portion along with the decorative flower. The hymn was written by Horatio Spafford in 1876 after traumatic events in his life. As a successful lawyer he was ruined financially by the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. In 1873 he planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plans, he sent the family ahead as he was delayed on zoning problems following the fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another ship and all four of Spafford’s daughters died. His wife Anna survived. Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the six verses to this beloved hymn. The last verse is: "And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul."
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