An Unexpected Journey

Do you believe dreams can be meaningful?  Did you know that God first cut a covenant with Abraham after he "fell into a deep sleep?"  Or that he repeated the promised covenant to Jacob in a.... yup, you guessed it- a dream!  Most of us in this left brain culture would have said, "Wow!  I ate bad pizza!" and forgotten all about it!  Interesting to me that God would choose to have such tremendously earth shifting encounters with people in, of all places, a dream.  Of course there are many other dream stories in the bible, but you can search those out for yourself if you like. I woke up this morning puzzling over a strikingly vivid but seemingly bizarre dream.  I shared it with my husband at breakfast and light seemed to wrap around his words and tears filled my eyes instantly and unexpectedly at his wise response.  Parts I will keep for myself, but the end I feel I should share.  Somewhere between early morning feedings I found myself deep in...

I follow a crawling baby into Makiah's room where she eagerly starts to plunder through  books. I gingerly open a book that had been one of her last Christmas presents.  The Little Red Book with Big Red Letters! A Story of Discovering Your Dream.   The inscription on the first crisp white page reads: " To Makiah... God has special plans for you! "  A gift from her grandparents.  Before I can stop myself the thought shoots through my mind.  What kind of plans?  Plans for a gruesome death a mere ten months after these sweet words were penned?  I shudder at my own antagonism and shove such questions aside.  I tell myself to keep playing chase and stay in the moment. Later, I am deleting old Facebook messages and see one dated January 16th, 2010.  Two years ago today and a short ten months before my baby died.  I am curious to see what I wrote back then.  I click on the message, and well, read it for yourself...    ...

Almost exactly two years ago today…   Makiah and I stand pressed tightly in a line of people waiting to get off the airplane.   I glance nervously at my watch.   We have been sitting on the runway much too long.   Our next flight leaves in 30 minutes… on the other side of the Atlanta airport.   As I wait, I am picturing myself hauling a protesting three year old and luggage through the crowds in a panic.   I think we need a plan so I say, “Sweetie, we are going to play a game.   We are going to pretend that we are in a race.   We are a team, and we have to help each other run.   But the most important thing is we can’t let go.   No matter what we have to hold onto each others hands.”   The scene flashes through my mind and I wince.    I didn’t want to lose her. Then in my mind’s eye I see us running breathlessly to the next flight.    I had envisioned dragging a screaming child through the airport, but in...