Take the Spiritual “Nestea Plunge”

Back in the late 70’s, Nestea encouraged everyone to “Take the Nestea Plunge”.  This was a long-running advertising campaign that featured people becoming completely refreshed when drinking this tea.  Literally, with just one gulp, your environment around you changed and you found yourself no longer standing on the ground, tired, and worn out.  No, the ground turned to water and you fell straight back into the refreshing, energizing water.  I can tell you that in my day, I took many a “Nestea Plunge” off of docks at the lake and diving boards at the pool. There IS something refreshing about completely relinquishing all control.  Just going all in!  There is freedom in total relinquishment. (If you’re not familiar with the “Nestea Plunge” or want to remember it, you can find it at this link: “Nestea Plunge”   https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=nestea+plunge+video#id=2&vid=7809c4bb347ac9189c04f90cb7b1e031&action=view .)

Back up!

This weekend was a busy one for me.  I drove 4 hours back “home” to north Louisiana on Friday morning.  My car smelled divine as I was transporting 10 fresh king cakes.  That rich goodness was something I wanted to share.  My first stop was the MICU at St. Francis Hospital in Monroe, LA where Savannah spent 3 weeks before being transported to Shreveport.  I wanted them to have “2” king cakes, one for the day crew and one for the night crew.  Yes, it was surreal to be back in “that” parking garage, walking in “that” skybridge, and hearing the doors to “that” unit open.  I had a tender visit with those in the unit.  Although they had not worked specifically with Savannah, they knew her and let me know were touched by my baby.  I am sure my nose looked like Rudolph the Red – Nosed Reindeer by the time I made it to my brother’s house.  I was delivering my nephew his “special request” of blueberry cream cheese king cake and doing a little “freshening-up” there before going to Cedar Crest Baptist Church to speak at their women’s night.   This was an event full of love. I witnessed women loving on other women who were broken-hearted. During and since that event, I have heard of relationships mending.  I have heard of hearts beginning to “beat” once again.  I experienced an explosion of compassion and love as I looked out into the sea of close to 300 women.    Women of all ages came an introduced themselves to me, hugged me, and gave me such words of encouragement.  This night was good for my soul.

Saturday morning was spent with about 20 women at Grace United Methodist Church.  These beautiful, compassionate women prayed for my baby and continue to pray for us.  They have prayed and are praying diligently for my mother.  I had to reschedule my original visit to their monthly circle meeting due to the complications my mother was having back in the fall.  Thankfully, they allowed me to reschedule.  These women touched me as they allowed themselves to be touched by my firstborn and the resilience of my second-born.  Saturday afternoon was spent with my dear, soul-sister who joined this club of broken-hearted moms in August.  We laughed, cried, and acted like our ol’ goofy selves.  It is good to be with people who KNOW.  None of us want to know, but I am so glad others who know are not scared or uncomfortable to be with me.  We can just be ourselves, with ALL the emotions membership in this club brings. While we were in a local chocolate shop, Bayou Chocolate, buying a margarita apple (oh, my dear goodness, please try one…green apple covered in caramel, then coated in white chocolate, and sprinkled with sea salt!!!), one of the most beautiful young ladies that I met the night before came up to me again!  She was at that shop! Wow! Just wow!  She is a delightful young lady who joined “this” club after holding her newborn for only a few minutes before he entered the pearly gates earlier last year.  While we were talking, another energetic mom and her daughter said, “Wait, you’re Savannah Payne’s mom?” I can’t tell you what this does to me to know that Savannah is not forgotten and her legacy of love continues to be alive and well on this earth.  Soul-healing.   The night was topped off by my spending the evening with my parents and their good friends.  These friends “know” as their grandson is waiting for them in Heaven.  We had so much fun laughing, talking, looking at pictures, and, OF COURSE, eating!

Sunday evening was spent at Fellowship Baptist Church sharing my testimony and how God and Savannah have taught me so much since August 2016.  Let me just say, Fellowship Baptist Church is aptly named.  This was such a loving and inviting environment.  Not only was the church building beautiful, the congregation was full of love, beauty, and compassion.  I was so encouraged and energized after leaving there.  I spent the night with my cousin…a great way to end the weekend, indeed.

Monday morning, I had coffee with one of my dearest friends.  Everybody needs a friend like her.  She is my rock, my hairdresser, my protector, my chocolate-provider, my  encourager, my sounding board, and is always completely honest with me.  We rarely get together but when we do, all is right with my world for that time period.  I think that was the best coffee I have ever had! I ended my north Louisiana trip back at the Housing Department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.  Savannah’s territory.  Hallowed ground.  Such healing occurs when I am around Savannah’s people.  Savannah loved to bring them a king cake and I wanted to continue the tradition.  It is never “weird” or “uncomfortable”.  When we are together, we can talk about her, laugh “at” her, and share tears because we miss her.

The events of this weekend allowed me to have a mountain-top experience the entire four-hour ride home.  I was thinking about a precious conversation I had with the pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church.   He was so encouraging and inspiring to me with his words and compassion he showered on me.  I was sharing with him how everything I thought I had control of (i.e., my house, my family) was stripped from me and I had to figure out had to keep going on.  I shared that once it was stripped from me, THEN, and only then did  I allow myself to relinquish to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I shared with him the “Nestea Plunge”.  Now, this visual had been in  my mind for a couple of week.  These commercials from my childhood and adolescence kept swirling around in my subconscious.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do with that visual.  In our conversation, it hit me. I said, “It’s like you have to do the “Nestea Plunge” spiritually and relinquish all control.  Then, you experience freedom.”

Well, I was thinking about that conversation when Adele’s song, One and Only, started playing from my playlist.   My kids and I LOVE Adele.  Savannah introduced me to Adele a number of years ago.  I remember watching the video and asking, “Is she a good-sized girl?”.  Savannah said, “Yes, isn’t she gorgeous?”.  And, oh, yes, she is.  You see, I (a “good-sized girl” or “big girl”) am so encouraged when I see other “good-sized girls” who are beautiful, smart, creative, and independent instead of quirky, goofy, obnoxious, whiny, and dependent.  So, Adele is near and dear to my heart because I have so many memories of my daughters and I driving home from school events of us belting out loud, along with Adele, the words of her songs.  (And, I must say, we sounded AMAZING!)  Late one night, we were singing her song, One and Only, and I did what I frequently do.  I began to see this song from a different perspective.  I began to see this song, not as someone singing romantically to another someone, but I began to see this song as one of someone who wants to succumb to our Lord and Savior, but just can’t.  They are struggling.  I saw God singing to me, “You’ve been on My mind, I grow fonder every day, lose myself in time, just thinking about your face.”  I then I saw myself saying to Him, “God only knows why it’s taken me so long to let my doubts go.” Then finally saying, “You’re the only ONE I want.”  This song represents to me the struggle to relinquish control. I encourage you to take time, listen to the song, and go read the lyrics.  Here is a link to her video on YouTube: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=adele+one+and+only#id=1&vid=e5eac6a5fc63a457a0e7f37dda632812&action=click.

Then, take the “Nestea Plunge”!

A couple of miles down the road and a couple of songs later, one of Savannah’s songs came on.  It is Carrie Underwood’s Something in the Water. I had, quite frankly forgotten about this song.  I remembered Savannah playing this song for me.  She was so excited about it. I encourage you to watch the video and listen to the lyrics at  https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=something+in+the+water+carrie+underwood#id=1&vid=7d3f54186ab2502c9038b8a237754ba6&action=click.  It is so true that once you take that spiritual “Nestea Plunge”, there is something that is completely different.  It is not something that words can do justice.  It is simply felt, experienced.  She comes pretty close describing the transformation in this song, though.  “Couldn’t fight back the tears so I fell on my knees saying, ‘God if you’re there come and recue me’ ”.  She describes that she “felt love pouring down from above. Got washed in the water, washed in the blood, and now I’m changed and now I’m stronger.”

All that was required was … RELINQUISHMENT!

Thank you all who have allowed me to come this past year and speak to you about Savannah, God, and what they have showed and are showing me.   I look forward to being able to share whenever anyone asks me to come.  I ask you to take the spiritual “Nestea Plunge”! This picture was taken when we were visiting one of the greatest men of all time, my Uncle I.V., in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  We were on the log ride.  You can see who are the thrill-seekers in my family and who are those that take things a little more cautiously.  My father laughing out loud was holding Isabella’s ears (she didn’t have her ear plugs), Isabella is literally white-knuckling the rail, I am holding on for dear life to Savannah, and Savannah is thinking, “Bring it ON”!  This is a great picture to show what this spiritual roller coaster can feel like.  It can be scary when thinking of the unknown.  We try to micro-manage, you know, take care of our business so that NOTHING bad will happen.  However, when we succumb and relinquish, we are in for the time of our lives and into ETERNITY!

Take the “Nestea Plunge” and THRIVE!

Stephanie