Isn’t it funny that you can dream in such vivid details??
A few nights ago I had a really wonderful dream that had me literally crying when I woke up. You see my grandpa past away a few years ago and he and my grandma helped renovate their summer cabin into their primary home once they retired. With the help of my uncle and a few years of hard work they completed the project and it was a beautiful home. My grandparents had a lot of pride in their home, and we grandchildren had MANY memories collected of the cabin.
My dream started off with me showing up at the dock inspecting how the new owners were taking care of my grandpa’s skilled artistry. I was noticing small details like how the styrofoam protected blocks were connected to the dock to prevent the boat from scraping its wood. As I moved up the walkway to the back of the house I could see small differences in what the new owners had done differently and wanted to let them know how to correct or fix them. I let myself into the house and waited in the front room overlooking the lake, tall pine, and maple trees. When the family got home I started explaining who I was and why I was in their house. Then I tried to politely explain to the family that they could fix their house and make it look better if they just took my advice to get it back to the way my grandpa had it. I don’t know why it was so important to preserve this home the way my grandpa had it, but it was.
Then out of the corner of my eye the screen door opened and my grandpa walked in and had a twinkle in his eye and bright refreshing smile on his face (like only my grandpa could) and took a seat on the couch. The family just vanished away from us, as I sat down on the floor at his feet and just looked up at him in awe and was overjoyed to be seeing him. I told him how much I loved and missed him. I felt like a child again, when there weren’t any grown-up problems or responsibilities to deal with, and I was just excited to be there.My grandpa told me that I shouldn’t have been so hard on the family who was trying to make this house their home. He quoted a Bible verse about there being a time to build and a time to tear down (Ecclesiastes 3:3) and that I should have grace on this family.
Then I woke up literally crying and wiping the tears from my eyes. I’m not sure how to take this dream. After I had woken up completely I looked up the passage this verse comes from and this is what it says:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
I called my mom on my way in to school that morning and through my tears again I explained the dream to her. She suggested it was the enemy trying to make me feel guilty for being in school and not to listen to him. That I’m doing the best I can and need to continue with school and the sacrifices I’m making. Ugh, either way I’m glad I got to see my grandpa again.
For everything there is a time and right now is your time to be in school. It's a time for your family to make some sacrifices and a time for your husband to stretch and grow into the responsibilities that the Lord has given him to shoulder. But just remember that this time is just that, a season. It's not forever, it's a season in your lives that if you all let it can really allow God to show up in your lives. Before you know it you'll look back upon this season and realize in the scheme of life how short this time really is. So do your best, live every moment to its fullest and always be present in the moment your in. If you studying give it your all, if you're with your family then don't think about school. I really think that is the key to surviving this is to just be fully present in each moment your in.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I often have dreams about my mother and I LOVE those dreams. Sometimes she is sick in my dreams and sometimes she is well, but either way I love being with her again, even if it is in a dream. So cherish the time you got to spend with your grandfather and know that maybe he was telling you, now is your time, don't waste it worrying with guilt, just do the best you can, pray and grow and you and your family will come out better for it on the other side.
When mama told me I first said that you were under a lot of stress so I wondered if that caused your dream? But either way it's nice, I know exactly the look your talking about that Gramp would give. The picture I got when mom told me the dream was that is something I could see us do with our heavenly Father and/or Jesus. And even the bible verse that he gave you. But you don't know what God/ Jesus looks like. So maybe it was the image of a loving Grandfather that he aproached you as to help you see that there is a time for everything under the sun. Even a time for school believe it or not.
ReplyDeleteEven an affirmation from our Father letting you know that you are doing well and not to be so hard on yourself. That's good. I love the pics and thanks for the image and memory of Gramp. I still remember that fateful night on the dock with Karla telling us about the birds and the bees. ha ha ha
And hey at least it wasn't Gramma coming through. ;0)
Oh btw, Uncle Dan is the owner of the cabin right? So what's that say now???
Candi - Thanks for the reminder of just how important this time is for me in my life right now. It's funny just to be present in the moment seems to ring true in our household. Like just this past Friday night I got off work at 2230, and needed to get a few grocery items for my son’s birthday party the next day. I came home first and picked up my son and asked him if he wanted to go shopping with me, and he said "it's almost 11pm mom are you sure?" I said" don't worry about the time, just enjoy the moment that we're going shopping so late, it'll be fun!" That's exactly what we did; we had a fun time with it. Just embracing the small moments of joy every once in a while during these crazy school days is important to remember.
ReplyDeleteDome – Amen to your analogy! I think you’re right, because when I was sitting at grandpa’s feet all of a sudden the other family just fell out of view and I was just focused on what grandpa was saying to me. I get homesick for the Lord just thinking about that dream now.
And I do remember that night Karla gave us the “birds and bees” talk and how much it echoed off the lake. We had a lot of fun memories. And yes I do realize that uncle Danny and Kathy are the owners of the cabin, but it never dawned on me in my dream. Thanks for a fun weekend!