There is Sunshine In My Soul

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine…”

-Proverbs 17:22

           

In 1890, There Is Sunshine in my Soul Today was first published in a collection of songs untitled The Finest of the Wheat. 128 years later, the cheerful words and message of the hymn still inspires.

In Robyn, this hymn inspired art. The painting that grew from these words was something new. Robyn had never painted a sunflower onto music before. Her first attempt wasn’t quite right. The petals were too small – the flower covered about a fourth of the page. Robyn decided she would paint large petals.

There is springtime in my soul today…

Vibrant orange and yellow spread across the music.

For when the Lord is near, the dove of peace sings in my heart…

The final result was a large sunflower spreading it’s petals to the corners of the page.

            The flow’rs of grace appear.

 This hymn is a joyous one. It speaks springtime, music, and sunshine - of the happiness to be found for those who have the peace of Jesus Christ in their lives. I asked Robyn what she felt about this hymn. She told me it was hard to express at the time because it was snowing outside. Robyn’s family had just come from three days of sunshine. (Spring in Utah!) Now that it was gone, they were feeling a bit let down. Robyn didn’t think she was telling me how she felt about this hymn – but I think she did.

            Sunflowers follow the sun. They are always facing the light. I don’t think it is a coincidence that this flower is the one Robyn painted onto this hymn. When dark clouds come into our lives, we can follow the light. We can follow a light even stronger than the one the sunflowers are forever seeking.

            There is sunshine in my soul today,

More glorious and bright

            Than glows in any earthly sky

For Jesus is my light.

            It isn’t luck that a hymn penned over a hundred years ago still inspires. It reminds us that even in the darkest skies, we can have the ultimate sunshine in our souls

~By Jenny, info about the hymns found in "Our Latter-Day Hymns- the Stories and the Messages" by Karen Lynn Davidson

To help tell the story....

One incredible thing I've learned from doing these paintings is that I have so much more support than I realized. Support has come in all kinds of ways- people spreading the word, giving me compliments, trading with me, giving me ideas, supporting my Patreon, and even filling in the gaps where I don't have the talents suitable to do what's needed.

Jenny is one of my biggest supporters! She is one I go to bounce ideas off of, to see how an image is REALLY looking (let's be honest, I don't love ALL my work), and writing. She's going to be writing many of these blog posts for me because she knows how to work magic with the written language. I send her a Marco Polo with what I'd like to say- just me talking- and she's able to take away from that what needs to be shared with the world.  So, without further ado, here is the story about Joseph Smith's First Prayer:

When Robyn listened to "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" she felt peace. She could see light and trees, she could picture the Sacred Grove. It made her want to sing. But she struggled with the notes. It hurt that she couldn't sing along with the music that meant so much to her.  She wanted to be able to help other see what she could see and to feel the peace she felt.

So, when she was inspired by old hymn books in the library, she decided to paint the music of that hymn. To Robyn, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" is "the epitome of loving music and not being able to sing."

"All I've ever wanted to do was give credit to the song."

The first time Robyn attempted to paint the music, it didn't come out as she had hoped. The color of the water-color pencils she used was too light to be seen. In the past, this may have been enough for Robyn to give up on the idea. But not this idea. She tried again - this time using water-color markers. It worked!

Be on the lookout for another version of this song coming soon.