DREAM GIVERS

Stepping from the shower this morning after a 2-mile run, I felt slightly worn down and alone. But, I quickly reminded myself that I am not alone. I mused about the eclectic mix of friends and family that surround my life and how each has played an important role in this epic adventure I call my life.

Now I understand that my friends and family appreciate me for certain elements I bring to their lives. After all I am witty, fun, smart, perceptive and talented—and, oh yeah, humble. I try to never miss an opportunity to tell the important people in my life how I feel about them. Enough about me though. Even though I am certain these individuals don’t sit around wondering where they stand with me, I feel it is important to etch the legacy of these star players in words for the world to see.

Before I get rolling on this project, I want to describe a truth revealed to me in the pages of The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. I hold a dream in my hands and I continually face fears of moving it forward and seeing it through. The place I stand between the vision and the realization of the dream is the border. But, I know I have to cross the border to get my land of dreams. I don’t cross this border alone. Bruce points out that there are three types of people who enter my life. They either squash my dream or give it wings.

The first type of person is what he calls a border bully. Bless their hearts, they really don’t mean to rob you of the dream. These people are exhausting and draining with limited vision. Fear of rejection and failure reside in them. Phrases that emanate from their mouths are: “that’s impossible,” “you don’t have the right education,” “so and so tried that and it didn’t work.” They eat away at your resolve, robbing you of your potential if you allow them. Now, I don’t see these people as inherently evil. They just have a limited capacity for dreaming. Thankfully, I have rid myself of the border bullies I found in my life.

The second type of person is the border buddy. I have many of these in my life. These are the people who walk with me to the border, wish me luck and send me on my way saying, “I’ll be thinking about you. I’ll pray for you. Let me know how it goes.” They are encouraging and can see my dream makes me happy. But, they still don’t understand why I would set myself up for failure. So they leave me to go on my merry way thinking they will be here for me when I return.

And then there are the border busters. These people catch your vision, walk with you to the border encouraging you and providing direction all along the way. When you arrive at the border, they cross with you and assist in finding the wings to make your dreams soar. These are the people to whom I am paying tribute.

Thank you for all sticking by me through thick and thin. Some of you I’ve known for years and some of you for months. But, each of you has helped me morph into the woman I am today.

The next posting will be my tribute to my border busters.