What a whirlwind the last 72 hours have been. Just when everything was going smoothly, someone started the roller coaster again. Per usual, whenever this happens, I don’t sleep well, and when I do sleep, I have the weirdest dreams.
Now, whether you believe in the power of dreams or not, you’d have to admit that sometimes your brain does work things out in your sleep and the symbolism, if we can remember, in our dreams can be pretty relevant to whatever unresolved issue(s) we have going on in our lives. Sometimes it takes some reflection and interpretation to understand what those symbols represent.
For example, last night I dreamt the following:
I was standing in front of the house I grew up in in Michigan…just me and my 3 kids. The house had obviously been abandoned and was in a state of severe disrepair. As I was telling the kids that this is where I grew up, I noticed that the garage was open and there were a bunch of boxes in there. Although we moved 26 years ago, somehow I knew that some of that stuff in the boxes was important. So, I took the kids and we walked into the garage.
In the boxes, some of which were empty, was the usual assortment of junk you find in a garage. However, in one of the boxes was my grandmother’s communion dress. Now, in real life, I have no idea what that dress looks like or if it even exists, but in the dream, I knew exactly what it was. It was packed in one of those clear plastic zipper bags that you keep dresses like that in. So, I picked it up. There were other things that I found and kept, and, although I don’t remember any more specifics, I do know they had to do with family and faith.
We turned to leave the garage, with me continuing to be excited about my grandmother’s dress, and I notice the sun had gone down. All at once, a bunch of trucks and vans pulled up the drive and on the lawn. One of the people looked at me and said “Lucky..you got here early and got all the good stuff!”.
I remember looking incredulously at this person and saying…”What? This used to be MY house! Get the *%(*& out of my garage and take your looter friends with you!” I tried to chase them out, but they wouldn’t leave, so I took what was important to me, gathered the kids, packed it in the car and left.
It was then I woke up, at 4:30 this morning.
The last 72 hours have been an emotional rollercoaster, but as of late last night and into today, I’m at peace with what happened. I realize that I’m not defined by the things that happen to me. I had to get to the bottom of why I was really upset and seriously contemplate what course of action I was going to take.
As recently as 6 months ago, the events of the last 72 hours would have utterly destroyed me. And while, yes, I was upset and wallowed for a short time, being able to break through that has been huge. I’d even go so far as saying that my being able to wrap my head around what happened and not fall into the abyss is a minor miracle in itself.
I started yesterday in a state of “What Now?!?!” and by the end of the day, I had taken action.
- I talked to one of the people responsible for making the changes here. I was able to express my concern and get some of my questions answered.
- I contacted a twitter friend about the possibility of bringing his youth ministry vision to a conference here in Phoenix this coming February. The conversation is just beginning, but it’s exciting.
- I began to break down my “big idea” into smaller things and was able to realize that I didn’t even have a name for it, a coherent vision, a “brand”, or even business cards for me yet! Man….there’s a ton of work to do. Seeing the small things makes the big thing that much more palatable.
I guess what it comes down to is trying to understand what’s truly important. I often tell my kids that it’s not what happens to you that matters, but how you respond to it.
How great an opportunity to impart this legacy to my kids than by fully embracing that during this time.
So, dear readers, what are you leaving behind? What lessons are you teaching, intentionally or unintentionally?
What are you going to do today to either take or regain control of your life?
I’m stepping out…taking a risk…and pursuing something bigger than myself.
Stay tuned…..things are gonna get interesting.
