Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Category: Sacred Stories

Contains sacred stories

  • Holland Window

    She was visiting her daughter and family out of state when they delivered a love-meal to a family welcoming a new baby into their home. “I want you to come in so you can see the Holland window,” her daughter insisted, “because you will love it and the story about it’s significance.” The following “Story Time about the new house” was published on her Facebook page by the grandmother of this new baby. Both the story and the photo are being shared as a Sacred Story with her permission:

    There is a short essay that circulates in the community of families whose children are diagnosed with a special healthcare need or disability called “Welcome to Holland.” I will post it below so you can read it. I was sent this essay when I shared publicly for the first time about our daughter Charlotte’s diagnosis at age 5 months, and I have passed it along to other mothers over the past 16 years. Of course no two people experience life altering news the same, so the essay may not be so healing to everyone, but it has been a tremendous piece of comfort and encouragement to me and to many who read it.

    We had looked at this house online SO many times over the past year, and had dismissed it as out of our price range. It sat on the market and the price kept coming down and on a whim one Sunday we drove by and stopped in at an open house…”just to see it in person.” I was stunned by the beauty of the space and loved hearing the story of the man who had custom built the home. He was an antiques dealer and historian, and traveled the world to curate pieces for his shop but also to put in his home. This stained glass window was breathtaking – I’ve never seen anything like it. I just stood and imagined how it could feel to enjoy it every day and also share it with others.

    The realtor showing us the house shared a document about all the details of the fixtures in the house. When I looked down and read that this stained glass window had been brought back for the house from a trip to HOLLAND, deep inside I knew this was supposed to be our house. Of all the countries in the world…in all the houses in Rutherford County… what are the chances? WELCOME. TO. HOLLAND!

    We thank God for this new home that we love already, though we are still covered in boxes to unpack and have a bathroom renovation to tackle soon. I can’t wait for this to be a place where friends and family gather, where we pray for each other and study God’s word, where we multiply joys and divide sorrows. Glory to God for the gift of this home.


    Welcome to Holland
    ©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.

    I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

    When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

    After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

    “Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

    But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

    The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

    So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

    It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

    But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

    And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

    But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

  • Heaveniversary

    She decided to have a memorial image of a screenshot she had taken of the last text message her mom sent to her done on canvas. The order was scheduled to arrive February 2 or 3, but it arrived on January 30, just one day before her mom’s 1st Heaveniversary.

    At 11:33 on January 14, 2025, she wrote to her mom, “Bloodwork looks good to me.”

    Her mom responded, “Trusting it is (with two prayer hands icons). Love you, Mama (with a heart and 100 icon).”

    She sent her mom an emoji likeness of herself blowing her mom a kiss.

    Her mom responded, “That’s not close to how beautiful you really are (with a heart icon). Just an icon (with a smiley face blowing a kiss).”

    She closed with a purple heart icon back to her mom.

    1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV)

    ¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

  • Acts of Kindness

    She met him while riding bike with her parents during a week’s visit in the Fort Myers, Florida, area. A Veteran, he was laboriously walking with a cane, pulling a basket behind him, stopping every few steps to lean and breathe. Her dad asked him, “Are you going to make it home?”

    “As long as I don’t pass out….” was the reply.

    She was off her bike, and began pulling his heavy load, holding his hand to support him as her parents pushed her bike along behind.

    They made it to his house where she helped get his purchases into the house. She was bereft when she rejoined her mom and dad. “No one should have to live like that….” they heard her say over-and-over between sobs describing despicable conditions. As they rode back home she spoke of getting him a better cart and filling it with supplies.

    Acts of kindness must have some special attention from LIFE, because the community where her parents winter was having a trash-to-treasure sale with pre-sales to the volunteers the next morning. When the neighbor across the street learned of their intention, he picked them up in his golf kart and they were able to buy a very high-end walker with a seat.

    They fitted the walker with a basket and later went shopping so the walker will be delivered filled with two bags of pull-tab and non-perishable foods!

    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop

  • 333

    One morning she woke up at 3:33 am and was unable to go back to sleep.

    That afternoon, working in the kitchen, she glanced up to see the clock on the stove announcing it was 3:33 pm.

    Later that evening she was on a group text with a few of her closest family members, sharing intimately as they navigated the upcoming one-year anniversary of her sister’s passing. One of them wrote Jeremiah 33:3 .

    Asking AI the following morning what verse in the bible is 333, this came up:

    While there isn’t one single “333 Bible verse,” the number often points to Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me, and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (ESV). It’s a powerful message of divine communication, completeness (like the Trinity), and God’s promise to reveal Himself when sought, often linked to seeing the number 333 as a call to deeper prayer and seeking God’s guidance.

  • Ornament Hanger

    Wintering together in Florida, with no chance for a white Christmas, they had both gone to a neighborhood tree-lighting with hot chocolate and cookies. Santa (the President of the neighborhood association) gifted each of them with an ornament he had made in his workshop. (He is also quite accomplished in stained glass as well!)

    She was able to hang hers in an ornamental tree in the great room of their tiny rental. She showed her friend the photo.

    But when she asked her friend if she had hung hers yet, her friend told her,”Not yet. I don’t know where to hang it.”

    The following morning, while out on a bike ride with her husband, she spotted a perfect table-top ornament hanger! It was one of the ‘free’ gifts on the lawn of a home in another neighborhood. They left it on the table in the porch for their friend to find.

    Knowing immediately who had left the ornament hanger, she sent this text message to her friend, “I found the perfect thing to hang my ornament on!”

    “I hope it was convenient where you found it,” her friend replied.

    “Great! It just appeared!” came the response.

    The Bible scripture “You have not because you ask not,” is found in James 4:2b and it explains that people often lack things like peace and provision because they don’t ask God. It seems a wonderful scripture to close this Sacred Story!

    A wonderful holy-day reminder, the following day the ornament hanger was adorned with lights.

  • Good Mojo

    She was calling a hospital in Michigan while she was in Florida. She desperately needed help speaking to her long-time friend. Her friend’s daughter said her mom had been convinced she would never get home. A few days earlier, while her friend’s daughter was there with her mom, they had spent 23 glorious minutes on the phone and it was so therapeutic for all of them.

    Her mom was improving, but she was not yet able to dial or hold the phone. They needed someone there to dial and put the phone on speaker.

    When she made a call to the nurses’ station, as she began to explain the situation, the unit secretary laughed softly and said, “Your timing is impeccable. I was just talking with your friend’s daughter. She just walked away! We were discussing how we can best set this all up for you.”

    They had a lovely conversation, including plans to avoid obviously busy times. They could make this work, and it was so important to have her friend feel hope again. She sent this text message to her friend’s daughter about having spoken to the unit secretary:

      “Very good mojo going on. I just called the hospital and I spoke with the unit secretary just moments after you had talked to her about my calling!!!”

    A few hours later, her friend’s daughter sent this reply:

      “She told me, LOL. Mom is doing much better. Most likely moving to rehab tomorrow.”

    And 15 minutes later, this update:

      “She moves tomorrow at noon. She didn’t think she was getting out of this hospital. This will be huge for her to get moving around. She’s been in bed now for weeks.”

    For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
    ~ Psalm 91:11

  • 12:12 – Ten of Cups

    At 12:12 am she received a Tarot reading video from a friend via Facebook Messenger. Reaching out later that morning, she was told the message had not come from that friend. Having a sense it may have been a message from their friend who had recently died, the following day she shared the video of the Tarot reading with her sister and they made these notes:

    * This person was expecting you to leave, so they left you first.

    * It’s crazy, and they’re embarrassed. They’re embarrassed about the way that they’ve behaved. But they don’t know how to redeem themselves. They don’t know how to come back from it.

    * It’s like you are the sunshine in their life. They may have even said to you they need your energy; like they’ve never met anyone like you before.

    * Your energy is amazing to them, and they’ve never known anyone like that, because you are beautiful on the inside and on the out. This person was shocked to see that, because they’ve never met anyone with pure intentions and pure heart like yours before. They’re hanging around, and they just don’t know how to deal with it.

    The last words her friend had spoken to her were, “I really like you.”

    “I really like you, too,” she had responded sincerely.

    The Rider-Waite Ten of Cups is a highly positive card symbolizing emotional fulfillment, harmony, and the perfection of human love and friendship. It depicts a happy family dancing under a rainbow of ten cups, with a home in the background, representing a state of contentment, shared joy, and a strong family life.

    When reversed, it can signify disharmony, family conflict, or emotional instability, and there was definitely some of this going on for their friend’s family.


    Reading about the Ten of Cups: This card indicates a true emotional fulfillment, one where the lonely self-satisfaction of the Nine of Cups is shared with others to create a true sense of community and family. After learning how to love oneself, the Nine of Cups matured into the Ten of Cups, which at its core is about how true happiness stems from forging authentic bonds and connections with others. This card is most associated with a sense of ‘happily ever after’ – of family, of lasting harmony and peace.

    (While not a Tarot user, “coincidentally” she and her daughter were registered to attend a workshop the following day on working with the Rider-Waite Tarot!)

    Her sister reminded her of the idea of an “Abler Soul” relationship where one person is still in physical form and the other now has an expanded view. This has been articulated beautifully by Cynthia Bourgeault, author of the book Love Is Stronger Than Death. It seemed really important that the message was time-stamped at 12:12 so they looked up that spiritual meaning:

    12:12 is often associated with completeness, divine order, and new beginnings. It is frequently interpreted as an “angel number” or a sign from the universe to have faith, remain optimistic, and focus on your goals. This sequence can signify a divine message of guidance and support for your spiritual path.

    Do not let your hearts be troubled…. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ~ John 14:1-3

  • Tears of Joy

    Her granddaughter — a single mother of three young girls — desperately needed an affordable, reliable used vehicle. When a friend sent her a video through Facebook with a message about answered prayer, that night before going to bed, she prayed, “Lord, we need help. We are asking you to provide a car for this family. We are trusting you to answer this prayer.”

    The following morning, before getting out of bed, she prayed again asking Jesus to answer this prayer. That very afternoon her daughter called. Her granddaughter had bought a car!

    In fact, her granddaughter had inquired about this vehicle but had not previously received a response to her inquiry. This particular vehicle previously belonged to the mother of the seller, and the mother had passed away. There was much mutual joy and relief that this young mother would now have reliable transportation.

    As she received the news, she began to cry tears of joy. She shared with her daughter the message that has inspired her prayers:

      This October, God wants you to read this verse. Stop for a moment. This is for you.

      God is about to bless you so much that you will cry tears of joy. Are you ready for God’s favor? Then don’t stop reading. Get your jars ready, because there will be oil in your house.

      John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.”

      To the lady reading this, Jesus isn’t our last hope. He is our only hope. Trust him. You will cry in October, not because someone hurt you, but because God answered your prayers.

      If you’re not ashamed of Jesus, send this to a godly sister and remind her. God will make a way. Lord, make a way for the woman who passes this along and puts, “Amen.”


    Her tears of joy included gratitude for the godly sister who had sent the message.

  • Rupert Spira

    At 6:55 am EST time her friend sent an email message to a prayer group they are both on asking for support:

    Dear friends,

    My dad is in his last days… I am hoping you can pray for his smooth transition and that he will be fine…

    Thank you so much for your help and compassion.

    Much love.

    At that exact moment she was finishing watching a 7 minute video called “You Are Not Born and You Never Die” with Rupert Spira.


    It was already 7:55 pm in Singapore in the physical world of her friend, so she placed a video call.

    She began to read to her friend notes from the video she had been taking as her friend was sending the email asking for support:”So in the ultimate analysis, the being that your father externally is never came into existence, never went out of existence; he is eternally present. He — not the ‘person’ or your father, but the being that your father ‘was’ is now the being that everything is — the eternal being that doesn’t come in and out of existence. A localization of that being appeared temporarily and disappeared, but it was only a localization. Your father actually never came in or went out of existence.”

    Sharing with great awe,”It is amazing that at the exact time you were sending the email asking for support for your father’s completing his transition, I was watching the video. I knew I had to call you right now and share it with you. So grateful you can breathe this truth to your father now.”

  • “Wait, is that me?”

    His dad recently got a pilot’s license so he flew up to pick his son up at college and bring him home for the weekend. They were at the Mason airport, where his Grandpa Mac had kept an airplane in a hanger.

    They were in the terminal and he stopped to look at a picture on the wall. He looked and looked and then said to his dad, “Wait, is that me?”

    His dad did not know the photo existed or who must have hung it in the terminal.

    Apparently, he had come to the airport with his grandpa for a ride or maybe to a pancake breakfast. That photo had to have been taken over 20 years ago….

    Hello, Grandpa Mac!