Twas the Night Before Heidi Disappeared

This is a photo of my sister Heidi, my cousin Shawnacy, and I building one of the castles I mentioned on the mini-blog post at the "Where's Heidi?" Facebook page. For a direct link, click on the picture above to see the finished creation.

Here is my gift to you, a poem written by yours truly. Twas the Night before Heidi Disappeared is my rendition and Christmas poem, you are the first to read it. Merry Christmas Eve everyone! ~ Lisa ~

Twas the Night Before
My Sister Disappeared
By Lisa M Buske



Twas the night before my sister would disappear
Her smile and gift of joy were evident and clear
Our last memories reside at our parent’s house
Celebration transitions to grief in the courthouse

We spent the day together shopping without a care
Not realizing my dear sister was in need of prayer
Graduation and Easter egg hunts consumed our chatter
Dreams of future “Sister Days” was all that matter

But when tomorrow came, instead of searching for an Easter egg
Tragedy stole my sister, leaving us to beg
Our small town of New Haven has always been safe
But that changed when two men stole the cashier and our faith

---

The phone rang and made me dash
To pick up the receiver to hear words causing me to gasp
“Heidi is missing. Get to the store.”
How can this be happening? An emotional uproar.

Ed gently pried the phone from my fingers with love
Although we really needed to get moving, he didn’t shove
Instead, wrapped his arms around to whisper an encouraging word
I was frozen but thankfully Ed moved me forward

From snug in our bed to racing to meet at the store
The scene of the crime revealed so much more
My sister is really missing and tragedy has struck
Within moments my emotional state was sure to self-destruct

Interviews given and photographs shared
I was now living one’s worst nightmare
“Bring back my sister!” Why, why, why…
I lean against the last pump to sigh


All I keep asking is “Where are my parents?” but no one hears
My fear, confusion, and grief consume me and the atmosphere
With preliminaries out of the way, we transition to the fire hall
Fax machines and telephones arrive and we make the important call

“Heidi is missing. Have you seen her today?”
But each ended the same, “I haven’t seen her.” Sad to say
People arrived from near and far to help with the search
While others learned of Heidi’s kidnapping while sitting at church

---

Minutes turned into hours and hours into days
Days into months and I spent the next decade in a daze
We never gave up and seek that one clue
Searching, hoping, and praying too

At first, I blamed this God some looked to for strength
Because a loving and caring God wouldn’t need to go to such length
BUT it wasn’t God who took my sister and ripped her from our lives
It was satan’s evil desires to rob, steal, and vandalize

Instead of running to God for the healing, strength, and hope
I ran the other way and slid swiftly on a downslope
Into satan’s lies and deception until one child shared truth
“Mrs. Buske, you need Jesus” and this plan is foolproof

I invited Jesus into my life and let Him get-r-done
Years of hurt, anger, and resentment weighed a ton
But thankfully Jesus’ shoulders are strong enough to bear the weight
For His time is not like ours, so I choose to trust as I wait

The process to heal was long and on-going, even today
Yet it is manageable and full of hope when I choose to obey
God never left me, I left Him
When I was ready He started to work from within

Heidi is still missing, the years mirrored by those with us
There isn’t a day we don’t miss her or make a fuss
To cherish our family and friends as we express our love
Knowing all healing, mercy, and grace come from above.

Instead of focusing on the negative or tragedy thrust into your life
Choose to celebrate and live without blithe
Holidays are a great time to mend hurts and a broken relationship
Instead of fighting or living in stress, choose to mend and worship

God sent His Only Son to be born a babe on this Christmas Eve
Knowing He would suffer a horrific death for those who believe
Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins and gifted the Holy Spirit
To intercede on our behalf until we reach the Eternity we inherit

My sweet, younger, and only sister remain one of America’s missing
I have made new friends near and far suffering the same thing
All of us share a common bond of loss and grief
With the same opportunity of hope and healing wrapped in belief

I chose to believe and cherish
Focusing on the good and not to perish
The choice is yours and yours alone
Will you wear the fragrance of God’s healing cologne?