Friday, March 29, 2024

‘She was in my dream with Jesus’ | Local artist led by dream to create painting of Athena Strand

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Communities across North Texas are still reeling from the loss of 7-year-old Wise County girl Athena Strand, who was tragically killed last month.

But one local artist has found a way to mend broken hearts everywhere by giving the Strand family the gift of a lifetime — a way to keep their little girl’s memory alive forever.

Stephenville resident Julie White has been obsessed with art ever since she was young. Her family was involved in the local rodeos and White always found herself painting animals, specifically horses.

Now, as an adult at 34, White has continued with her animal paintings and has estimated she has completed more than 100.

But one night, White found herself compelled to paint something (and someone) else.

“I had a dream right before they found Athena. She was in my dream with Jesus,” White said.

She described seeing Jesus — who had shoulder-length brown hair, a beard and was dressed in a beige robe — and a little girl, whom White later realized was Athena.

“They didn’t speak or anything, but it was so heartwarming,” she said. “He was trying to send a message about going to heaven. I remember I went over there and gave her a hug to comfort her, and that's really what I remember of the dream, but it felt so real.”

White said the next morning she woke up and was in disbelief when she saw the Amber Alert about Athena Strand.

"As soon as I saw her face on there, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was the little girl in my dream.' They had the same nose, same face and hair,” she said. “It was sad though, because I started following up on the search and I just had this feeling like, she's already with Jesus.”

Once the search ended and Athena’s body was found, White said she suddenly felt a desire to paint the little girl.

"What's crazy is I normally don't paint humans; I'm strictly animals, but I was so touched by Athena and after seeing her in my dream with Jesus, I just had this deep feeling, like I have to paint her,” she said. “It was the most realistic dream and seeing her before I ever saw the Amber Alert, it just touched my heart.”

White used acrylic paint on an 18-inch by 24-inch flat panel canvas for her painting of Athena. She recreated the well-known picture of Athena in her Christmas outfit and incorporated an image of her kissing a horse.

“I was browsing through all of her pictures, and I heard she was gonna go ride horses and go to a Christmas parade when she got back from visiting her father,” White said. “I just saw that she had a passion for animals and horses, and I just thought it was a sweet picture of her kissing one of their family’s horses. I think the horse's name is Old Fargo.”

After White finished the painting, she set out to look for Athena’s family members so she could get the painting to them. She had heard that there was a Granbury connection to the family and posted her painting on the Hood County Breaking News Facebook page. Not long after, the post blew up with a multitude of comments and reactions.

The post received 453 reactions, 82 comments and 20 shares, with many commenting on how the painting was “beautiful” and how “thoughtful” the gesture was.

“There were a lot of comments and a lot of heartwarming reactions to it,” White said. “It just felt so special.”

Through the Facebook post, White was able to get in touch with Athena’s aunt and mother. She said she hasn’t mailed the painting to Athena’s family yet, because she wants to find the perfect frame.

White said it feels wonderful to be able to create this special gift for Athena’s family and hopes it will make their Christmas just a little bit brighter.

"From the bottom of my heart, it feels so special,” she added. “I think it would mean a lot to them to just see their little girl because every day I sit here, and I stare at the picture, and I feel like she's looking right at me. It’s just a happy painting. I think this is a really sweet gesture and hopefully it’ll uplift a lot of people.”