An Angel was born...

On November 19, 1918 an angel was born and her name is Carrie Ophelia Strickland-Boykin. This is a piece that I played around with to get my thoughts and feelings on paper.

God shared her with us but for an appointed season

During which time

She taught us to laugh

Give selflessly

And to love abundantly

She taught us that from little you could gain much

And she taught us that love, not money, answers all things

She walked boldly in a spirit of meekness and humility

Taught us how to treat everybody right including our enemies

And to do unto others as you would have them do unto you

To walk in truth

Although she was a woman of few words

When she spoke it was voluminous

Although she could not carry a tune to save her life

Her spirit sang with soul like Aretha

It was luminous

I can see her so vividly right now

Sitting on the 6^th pew clapping off beat

Giving God praise

Patting her lap and tapping her feet

I smile

I can almost hear her heart beat

Until I realize that one glad morning

That began with mourning

God called her home to rest in the heavily hills

In a city called heaven

Set aside

For those to reside

That lived virtuously

And gave forth life

That supplied the world with light

And that light that she instilled in me

It lives in me

Daily I contemplate

What would have happened had fate

Not taken me from the north side of a city to the

Eastside of the tracks

Had I never made it to Keys Street where would I be?

Honestly I could not imagine how my life would be

Had I not had her

And she not had me

Figuratively

Could we exist separately?

Metaphorically

I believe that God wove her together in her mother’s womb

Just for me

Without Ophelia Boykin there would be no Tree

No purpose

No mission

No pending disposition

No definition

No convention

No @ mention

Just a shell of a person

Flooded by emotions

Lacking devotion

But because He loved me

So Unconditionally

He pre-destined before the very foundation of the world

That he would send an angel in human form

To save the life of this little girl

And for that I am grateful daily

God loved me so much He not only sent Jesus to Calvary

He also designed a heavenly angel to raise

And watch over me

And although I did not always cherish that gift

He allotted time for me to make amends

Seek forgiveness & give restitutions

Before The End

And at The End

I began to see that it was bigger than me

This woman changed the life of my entire family

Through humility and grace

She ran her Christian race

And on July 1, 2006

Peacefully

She met our King

Elohim

Rest in Peace

My sweet Queen

 

Sandtrice Denise Russell