Odyssey by Faith

When I saw a posting for the Celebration of Life for Dawn this morning, I started thinking about her and all the fun memories. Sorry I’m unable to make it to the celebration. As I was thinking about things, I kept revisiting the most recent moments I got to spend with her in Florida, combined with all the memories from past visits. A few of those that often come to mind:

• The 30+ hour Greyhound ride we took from FL or OH. The funny thing is, I don’t remember the specifics, I just remember a few key moments and all of us never wanting to take another Greyhound ride!
• It still amazes me that Dawn was OK with me staying in FL for those few months when I was 19/20 years old. The fact that she was OK with that is what always comes to mind when I think about what a great sister-in-law she was.
• It was so fun to talk with her about anything and everything when I visited. One of the times Nathaniel and I drove down, I remember being glad for all the comics he had to read, because I ended up talking with Dawn for hours and hours.
• I’m not sure how long it took, but while I was staying in Florida, I remember mentioning I always wanted many small braids in my hair. She spent the day putting in what must have been hundreds of braids in my hair! Memories like this make me sad that we did not have digital cameras like we do today.
• There are so many more memories. I wish I could remember them all, all the conversations we had, and all the laughs we shared.

I can’t recall specifics from many of the conversations I had with Dawn throughout the years, but I do remember and treasure the conversations I had with her the last time I visited. With my work being remote, I was able to hang out with Dawn during the workdays that week.

Funny thing is, she told Frank she didn’t want to be evangelized to while I was there. It made me laugh when he told me that, because I had hoped to have conversations about God with her. I didn’t force any conversation, but more so trusted that the Lord would present opportunities to discuss it.

Throughout the week, we had several conversations concerning God, religion, and many other things. I will treasure those memories. I was happy when she spoke about Jesus and God, and her views on Christianity. Before I came down, I had the worry that she was a non-believer, as I loved her and hoped she had love for the Lord in her heart. One of the first conversations we had on the topic, she expressed her concern that Frank would be angry with God due to her illness. She hoped he wouldn’t be, since it wasn’t God punishing her in any way.

While I was a non-believer, I had a similar view. If believers were right, and there was a God, he must be causing these bad things to happen. I was happy she brought up those topics and expressed her beliefs. It implied she did believe in God, had a love for him, and hoped Frank wouldn’t misplace the anger toward her illness to the God she had a relationship with.

Throughout the week, we talked about Jesus and many other things. I won’t try to express her thoughts on all those topics, as none of us know what is in each other’s hearts, but along with the sadness I have from the passing of such a great sister-in-law, I have comfort in my belief that I’ll one day see her again in Heaven.

Love and God Bless.