Auden, where art thou?

Here I sit, having my usual breakfast of Grape Nuts (in organic skim milk) and French Roast coffee. Johnny is listening to the radio on our eMac and practicing drums on his practice pad. Buddy is sitting in Johnny's lap and our windchime is singing. I just remembered one of my dreams. I saw my old friend, Auden! I ran to her smiling like a fool. We hugged, talked of things I cannot recall, then she said she was married and I was elated. And I remember being happily surprised to find her unexpectedly.

I have no idea where Auden is these days. The last time we spoke was a few months before my wedding. She was almost positive she could attend if she was not travelling. We had a happy chat that evening. She must have been travelling because she was not at our wedding and I have not heard from her since. I have e-mailed several times with no response. My friend Holly sees Auden randomly at Church from time to time, but not this year. Auden was such a good friend and kept in touch even when she moved to San Francisco to study in seminary. She is a missonary in every fiber of her being so all of this leads me to believe she is in Thailand or China, two of her previous missonary locales. The one picture I have of her is outside her dormitory in China a few years ago. While she was there we had to correspond with cryptic e-mails so as not to reveal that either of us are Christians and endanger the group of young girls to which she was teaching the Bible. Johnny and I have a folk art-esque sun that Auden brought to me from China hanging above one of our windows. I pray she is safe and doing well. It would be somewhat humorous if she was married because all the years I knew her in Houston, marriage was not a big concern. The last time we had coffee in Houston, before our last phone call, she was seriously pondering marriage and decided she could marry if her husband had an equal passion for missions. That is very Auden. Not to be morbid, but I've wondered if she is alive. Could she be one of our glorious martyrs? I would grieve for a time but I would also thank God for Auden, one of the many who fearlessly take the Gospel 'round the world, making disciples of the nations. I would also thank our Lord as I say the Te Deum Laudamaus in Morning Prayer, "The noble army of Martyrs: praise thee."

Dreams are mysterious and ambiguous but I often wonder if a few of them impart messages from God as was common in the Bible. Just maybe He was allowing me to know Auden is safe, either married on earth or reunited with her first Love in Heaven.