Dorie B. Pickle poses two questions in this book: What is the purpose of life? And what happens after it ends?
The author describes her personal journey following the death of her mother, Carlie Sue Hunter Burdett. Her daughter shares how the grieving process has altered her spiritual beliefs.
Carlie Sue was a devout Christian and a talented musician who dedicated her compositions to the celebration of life. She had struggled with kidney disease for more than 40 years, recalled her daughter.
Carlie Sue spent her final days searching for her spiritual place in the Universe.
The dying woman described her insights and tried to explain the surreal and otherworldly visual images that came to her. But the English language proved to be an inadequate method for sharing the deep emotions that her mother had experienced.
And then came the final dialysis treatment which included intubation and anesthesia to insure she was physically comfortable. Carlie Sue never regained consciousness.
Her family was at her bedside when she peacefully passed away in 2019 at the age of 73.
They faced “a new reality [that] settled in; it was the beginning of a new era” explained her daughter.
The author felt compelled to write about her mother’s spiritual journey, which included the intense visions she had experienced while confined to a hospital bed. Dorie wanted a better understanding about the powerful apparitions and dreams of the afterlife that Carlie Sue tried to describe.
“If I understand correctly, she indicated that individual souls age and learn as they move through various levels,” said the author. “Older souls know how to lead and progress because they have been on the journey longer . . .”
Dorie discovered that staying connected to the natural environment was one technique that helped her feel more in touch with her mother’s spirit.
“The paths my mom took were: following Jesus Christ and his example, staying in close touch with nature, immersing herself in music, and taking time to serve and love her family and friends,” acknowledged her daughter.
Music was a pillar of strength for Carlie Sue. And music offered Dorie solace as struggled to accept her mother’s death.
“In truth, we don’t move on from grief as much as we move on with it,” explained her friend David Wyatt.
“It changes who we are and how we see the world around us.”
The lessons Dorie has learned since her mother’s death include staying focused on her personal search toward becoming a better person, striving toward progress, and striving together [with family and friends] toward love and connectedness with the universe.
The author noted that it took years to fully embrace some of her mother’s spiritual concepts. Five years later she was ready to publish this tribute to Carlie Sue.
“If you are willing to be open to messages from the other side, I assure you that her [Dorie] experiences will help you get a little more comfortable with the unknown and the fate that we all will someday face,” wrote Wyatt in his preface to “Dawn.”
SIDEBAR
Dorie Burdett Pickle earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Texas, Austin. Later she was awarded a Master’s Degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, a graduate school at the University of Texas.
Dorie is a writer, an artist, a musician, and an ardent nature lover. She founded CreativePickle and serves as the creative director.
“I think books are like people, in the sense that they will turn up in your life when you most need them,” Emma Thompson, actress.