Imperfectly Perfect

By Debra Anderson

My entire life has been imperfectly perfect, even from the point of conception. I was fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, which is perfect and placed in the womb of a strong, kind black woman, who was imperfect by world standards but imperfectly perfect for me. I began writing this book after the transition of my mother. Though my desire to remember and honor her partially birthed the inspiration, this book has manifested from a deep and primal need to make sense of my journey, to see it more clearly. I will always cherish the last lesson that my mother taught me. She taught me to do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and to rest in the Lord as we transition to Him with truth and grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debra Anderson
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798735800293

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Imperfectly Perfect

Debra Smith Anderson

Copyright ©2020 Debra Smith Anderson.

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Table of Contents

Forward

Introduction

Chapter One: Mom

Chapter Two: Grandma’s House

Chapter Three: My Dads

Chapter Four: 1514 Wilson

Chapter Five: DOUG, the Beginning

Chapter Six: DOUG, the Journey

Chapter Seven: Yes, Lord

Chapter Eight: The Last Lesson

About the Author

Forward

Introduction

My entire life has been imperfectly perfect, even from the point of conception. I was fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, which is perfect, and placed in the womb of a strong, kind Black woman, who was imperfect by world standards but imperfectly perfect for me. In my own motherhood journey, I was blessed to give birth to a beautiful, intelligent and perfect child diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Though the world may deem him imperfect, he is my incredibly special, greatly loved, imperfectly perfect son. In my lifetime, I have experienced countless perfect and indescribable moments, and a reasonable share of imperfect and painful ones. Altogether, my life has been an amazing, imperfectly perfect one.

I began writing this book after the transition of my mother. Though my desire to remember and honor her partially birthed the inspiration, this book manifested from a deep and primal need to make sense of my journey, to see it more clearly. It was not one of those instances when a writer experienced some major epiphany, sat down, and wrote a first draft within a week. I began drafting it at the end stages of a perfect storm.

Within one year, my lifelong career had been shattered. I lost my home in Austin. My mother died along with my marriage, and I experienced a painful audit from the IRS. For the first time, I found myself alone without a clear purpose, and I desperately needed to reacquaint myself with me.

Over the years, this book emerged slowly in what appeared to be disjointed pieces. I wrote and rewrote many of the stories but could not find the connection until I looked with the eyes of my heart as well as with the eyes of my mind. I had written the fundamental story of Debra. The people who had impacted me, shaped me and molded me the most were there. Incidents that profoundly changed me or offered me insight were there. Today, this book chronicles my essence with some notable constants woven throughout every page.

First and foremost, whether His name is mentioned or not, there is God, the author and finisher of my faith and my life. He was there even when I did not know it. He was there even when I questioned Him, and He was there in the most crucial times of my life, the times when I could no longer understand, or it seemed as if I could not bear my circumstances or did not have the strength to keep enduring. He is and has always been my rock, my strong tower, a present help in a time of need, my kind and compassionate friend. He has directed my path and opened doors I could not even see. And He loves me, which brings me to the second constant: love was always there.

There were people who demonstrated and taught me sacrificial love, tough love and enduring love. The essence and power of love is also woven throughout the pages of this book. If you look closely, then you will see it. Love is the most powerful gift that we possess: love for God, ourselves and others. Its impact is exponential. It permeates our very being and touches the hearts, minds and souls of those on which it is bestowed. Seeing through the eyes of love and acting in love allows us to touch each other in a way that binds and transcends differences and circumstances. It is the language that allows us to truly communicate and find our common ground, our shared purpose and our divine link.

I never intended for this book to be a chronological exposition of my life, but in a way it is. It opens and closes with my mother, the one, other than God, who has had the most impact on forming and shaping who I am. It includes major life events that either chipped away unneeded or undesirable attributes or solidified the principles and percepts for a full life. It most certainly allowed me the opportunity to look back on my life and to find God, love and myself. It is my sincere desire that reading these pages will give you pause to reflect on the special people in your life, the events that have inalterably changed you and the essence of who you are, and the special moments of your own imperfectly perfect journey.

Chapter One

Mom

Sitting in the room that was once my mother’s, I began penning a lifetime of memories and thoughts, a cacophony of joys and sorrows as well as laughter and sighs. This room is now my study, the place where I choose to create. In this sacred room, I write then glance out the same window that my mother once loved to gaze out of and search for the birds that sang so sweetly from the tree outside her window.

It seems quite fitting that this is the place of a beginning as it was also the place of an ending. In this room, my mother spent the last year of her life and shared the last lesson she had to give me. She taught me how to transition from this life to the next. She did so with grace and dignity, in love and in peace. Also, it is probably fitting that I begin my story with her because without her there would be no me. The thing is, she was such a colorful character that you might forget this story is mine.

Mom was born Dorothy Lee Francis on October 7, 1927, the only daughter of Alice and Joseph Francis. For most of her life, she weighed a little over a hundred pounds and stood a towering 5’4". Let her tell it, she