Last weekend, my husband gave me a beautiful birthday gift – a barn board sign to hang on our wall with the words: “It is Well, with My Soul” carefully printed on it.
The sign means a lot to me because the words ring true to my life. When nothing makes sense about my circumstances, I know that I can still have peace in my soul. The powerful hymn, written by Horatio Spafford, a grieving man who had just lost five of his children, says:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Last Sunday, Nov. 11, a sweet and dear friend of mine and a cherished member of our community passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Many in Guelph were impacted by Barb Bulger in some way. She served her community with devotion and character, and the driving force behind her servitude was her faith in Jesus.
Barb was married to Brian, and the deep love and friendship between them was clear to anyone who had the honour to know them. Brian is the Celebrate Recovery pastor at Lakeside, but Barb was equally devoted as a Celebrate Recovery leader and mentor to many women. Barb was involved in the Guelph community in many ways, and her commitment to love others and walk with them on their life journey was evident in her life.
I am one of the people that she walked with through some of the most difficult hardships. Barb was a secret keeper to many, but more than that, she was a support, a prayer warrior, and a true friend. Barb knew pieces of my life that no other person knows because she took the time to care for and nurture others in whatever place they were. She had no expectations or requirements, she was your friend, and she was there with you, no matter what.
As Barb journeyed through her cancer diagnosis, the community has surrounded the Bulger family. None of us wanted or expected the journey to end this way, and her loss has been devastating, first to her family, who she tenderly and unselfishly has cared for, and to her entire community.
One word that comes to mind when I think of Barb is legacy. So many who knew her have shared her impact on them. She has touched so many lives, and that’s evident through the sheer number of people who are grieving over her loss. She lived her life with her entire heart, her laughter was infectious, her smile would light up a room, and her warm hug would wrap you up and let you know: It is well, with my soul.
As friends have remembered her this week, we have continued to come back to the same truth, over and over.
If only we could love like Barb did. If only we could leave the legacy behind, that she has.
We are inspired by Barb, in her life, and in her death. We are grieved by her loss, because we will miss her so. We don’t understand why such an incredible woman would be taken from her family, and from us, so young. And we are encouraged to know, that we will meet with her again.
We are also challenged, to live a life that leaves such a big impact, to have a heart that yearns to love everyone, no matter what. Just like Barb did.
Thursday evening, my husband and I attended Barb’s visitation where many gathered to pay their respects to the Bulger family. We enjoyed looking back at the many photos displayed of Barb and her family, and we could feel the love between Barb and Brian, her devotion and care for her sons, and all the fun that they had in their life together.
As we reached the end of the line, there was a display with some beautiful photos and decor from the Bulger’s home. One of the items on display was a barn board sign, with the words, “It is Well, with My Soul”, so lovingly printed on it.
I pointed the sign out to my husband, and he smiled.
“Yes, that’s why I bought it. I saw they had a sign exactly like it, and I wanted one for our home.”
What a special statement.
I saw her faith, and I wanted to be more like her. I saw her devotion to her family, and I wanted to be more like her. I saw her unwavering and non-judgemental love for others, and I wanted to do the same.
And I saw her courage, her belief, as she walked through her battle with cancer, with the words “It is Well, with My Soul,” covering her heart and her life.
And I wanted that, too.
