For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Colossians 2:5.
This morning, I awoke around 4:30. My immediate thought went to my friend, Debra, who has found her place in the Father’s kingdom. I smiled because somehow I knew that I was supposed to wake up at this time. It has been a year since I received that early morning phone call letting me know that she had left the physical world. In all of this, I give thanks that she knew who she was and whose she was.
Like so many others, I have had a year to look back over pictures and remember some of the funniest moments of my life that were shared with my dear friend. While so many of us have grieved, we can all recall that one Debra story that makes us laugh. We can all still remember the light that Debra could bring into a dark space.
When it comes to expression, Debra had her own brand, and there is no mistaking that fact. She was a writer, a poet, a singer, a reader, an actor, an intellect, and a free spirit. I will say that Eastern Standard Time had nothing on our friend because she had her own time: Debra’s time. No amount of fussing and cajoling could make her move any faster. Debra saw the world through an exceptional lens that none of us have ever mastered. The one lesson we learned from her is that expression comes in many forms, and we have been blessed to have her poetry and art to remind us of how to appreciate life. The original picture above is entitled “Balance and Spirituality in the Midst…” So often we get so busy that we forget about family, friends, and ourselves, but through it all, we have to maintain our faith and find the time to breathe and love one another.
I know that Debra’s spirit lives among us. Waking up this morning reminded me of a piece that Debra wrote last year:
The God Hours
(A Haiku)
Four-thirty, pre-dawn,
oft the God hours I wake.
In silence, we speak.
10.01.22 5:29am
Debra D. Straw
A woman I worked with decades ago, Hilda, shared with me how she awoke during the “God hours” before her family rose. When I inquired about the God hours, she said it was the time between 4 a.m. and 5:30/5:45 a.m. when the world (our hemisphere) was most quiet. She read her Bible and talked with God during this time.
I’ve been an insomniac and/or a night owl most of my life and I’ve remembered what Hilda stated as I’ve gone through the years. If I awaken prior to 4 a.m., I’m reflective of what I SHOULD (HA!) have done in my life and I have to catch myself to stop! But if I awake a bit after 4 a.m. I’m calmer, sometimes bliss-filled, brimming to talk with God, and I feel very grateful and blessed. Recently when I awake I bring my prayer shawl in the living room and curl into my dad’s chair and talk with God during this time. It’s comforting and nurturing. Does anyone else have a similar experience when waking during this timeframe?
Blessings!!!
DDS, Inc. © 2022
Today we awakened to a beautiful day! Let us remember Debra’s light, art, and poetry! She would not want sadness, but she would prefer a colorful party full of life instead! It is not by circumstance that we have been brought together! We have a purpose to continue to share the light and beauty in the art with others. Be blessed, for we are much better for having known her!
CrayDawg, Inc. © 2023
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