The question is asked often, "why the feather?"
Taken from an excerpt from Executive Director, Joanna Dennstaedt's Blog, we share the story of the feather.
It wasn't when she walked in the door and said NED that I felt relief. It was a few hours before when I was getting all my labs taken. I felt it was ok.
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Months ago when I was diagnosed and looking ahead at lots of long scans and appointments my dad, a survivor himself of stage 4 throat cancer, sat at the end of my bed.
He told me how in all those moments of scans he had to disappear from reality and go to his favorite place. For him, it was fly fishing in the Virginia mountain the trout streams. Tranquility, peace, just him in the water quietly spending time with Jesus. I started to cry, I love my daddy so much and I could imagine that place with him. I thought of my place at the beach, the ocean, the sounds, the beauty, and then I thought of the sun.. and no longer was that a peaceful place for me. Skin cancer and the beach don't mix, or can they? I mourn that sometimes still, but I have shared before about how God has redeemed that in my broken soul.
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I thought and thought about where I would mentally go when I was being sent into a test tube of silence and needed to escape reality. Waiting as the scan machine looked intricately at every cell in my body to find cancer or lack of. I better find a place or I would need more drugs. Then it came to me out of nowhere. It was a vision. A picture painted as clear as day. A vision of myself in his arms. but not any arms, it's a bed of feathers as arms. I cannot see his face but only arms, not normal arms though, arms holding me that are covered by ginormous white feathers. And I sink in, and my body relaxes as a calm comes over me.
"Hide me in the shadow of Your wings psalm." 17:8
He's holding me and I realize, I don't need to find a place because HE IS my place, and when there is no where else to go, I will rest in his arms.
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4
That's my place.
I found it.
He will hold me.
He will be the place I go to find rest, tranquility, peace, and comfort.
HE IS THAT.
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