Fly high Charlie, you are now fully awake again

My almost lifelong friend Charlie/Charlene (I was 14 when we met) awoke from this slumber yesterday at midnight. I am not sure I could have slept as life with the dignity she had for so long, with disease, which took a once vibrant active woman to a nearly bedridden state of slumber.

Charlie was Christian, yet beyond this fact, she was deeply spiritual and open to embracing her knowledge of the vastness of life/death not always in written word of this world. Accepting what she knew and embracing every opportunity to learn more. If well, she could have written a book capable of astounding many from self-truth gathered from a soul search unending. Being a people person and engaging, her working years were spent in the restaurant industry – both working for and owing her own. In the early 70’s when minimum wage was still less than two dollars an hour, it was not uncommon for her to average two –hundred dollars a night in one of Des Moines white collar establishments of the time called Johnny and Kay’s, drawing customers from many destinations as it sat across from the airport. Patrons might have been unaware sitting down of the draw factor of her smile, though were soon taken under her loving persona. 

I had many long conversations by phone with Charlie while she still resided in southern Texas before relocating back to Indiana. To herself, Charlie was just conversing – to listen, was to witness spirituality in motion. Her intuitive senses were spot on in being alive and awake. Not fearing death, though with an insatiable appetite to understand life/death expressed through her stories and experiences of life. Telling of sitting outside a local Wal-Mart while her sister-n-law was shopping, a blue-eyed Hispanic man stood in front of her. After a short time, he touched her arm and the feeling she had made her want to cry. Two young boys sitting close were asked to interpret what the man was saying and they returned looks of not understanding the request, they boys could not see the man who touched her. She felt that day this man was a messenger sent to her and although the words were not understood, the feeling could not be denied.

During one conversation, she asked, “Linda, what do you see for me?” I told her I saw a large pond with her fishing. She said this could not be right, she would not be able to leave her bed and walk to fish. A year later, she did go fishing. I also told her she would return to Indiana for another Christmas in her farm home. She said this could not be true; she would not be able to make the trip. She did return for a last Christmas at her family farm. This coming weekend, her family had planned an early Christmas to be with her one more time for the holidays, Charlie will now spend Christmas at home once again and all the Christmas to come watching from ever so close all that she loves. 

Charlie completed her bucket list to learn and experience in being aware of the dream and yet anticipating being awake once more. As she passed from this existence, her daughters sang her out of this world. Charlie took flight in her time of joy. During her last days of slumber, she reassured family of a peace that comes with letting your spirit lead the way in faith and trust, fully aware and now fully awake.