Thirty-two and Dreaming

Birds and airplanes, elephants and giraffes, theaters and stages...

what do they have in common?

Anytime I see one, I become a ten-year-old again. My jaw hangs on its hinges, my eyes grow like sunflowers, and my heart beats faster to keep time with my breathing.

But at my age, I have the common sense to know that I probably will never become a pilot, or raise an elephant and giraffe farm, or become a stage actress... but I can dream. I can dream of all the things I can do when I'm finished with this phase of my life. I can dream of the possibilities of learning something new. Or I can just dream. I can stop and admire a bi-plane as it soars over my backyard, and imagine what the view must be like from the cockpit. I can picture myself walking side-by-side with an elephant, my hand on its side, feeling the strength, power, and gentleness of the great creature flow through me. And I can relive the rush of being in the wings, moments before the curtain comes up, the lights, the costumes, the character, the audience... it never leaves me. None of this will ever leave me.

I don't think I have to squash these dreams. God gave them to me, along with the dreams to be a stay-at-home mom, to write books, to perform music, and to run a bed-and-breakfast ministry someday. As long as I'm focused on Him, my feet are firmly on His ground... and my head is in His clouds. Maybe when I'm in heaven, I will have eternity to pursue the dreams I couldn't pursue on earth.

What are your dreams?