I'm thankful for the wonderful hymns of my faith! "Such Love" takes me directly to the camp meeting tabernacle where the joyful singing soared in the night air and mingled with the fragrance of hamburgers frying in the little stand we raced to after the service. The words "That Christ should love a sinner such as I" make me glad I am forgiven.

Besides taking me back to early church services, the hymns return me to the home of my childhood, where I hear my mother singing with great fervor as she cared for the needs of our family. From her I learned to love the grand old hymns that have increased my faith ever since.

The melodies, simple as "Amazing Grace" or majestic, as Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," bring to mind the words of the hymns that have been a comfort to me in dark days and a reminder of God's love when I have been awake in the night.

"Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is my favorite. The night when my father was dying of cancer, as I was kneeling by my bed, these words from that song flooded my heart: Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. I claimed the promise that the Lord would sustain me in my sorrow and would give me hope to see Dad again in heaven.

When I have most needed a touch from the Lord, I've remembered "Wonderful Peace" and "God Will Take Care of You." In lonely times I have reveled in "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." My faith is strengthened as I testify "Blessed Assurance" and "It Is Well with My Soul." As wife and mother, I have relied on "God Leads Us Along." My life of faith has been blessed with a rich heritage of spiritual songs.