I have been a journalist for many years, beginning my published career around 1990. Though I haven’t written articles for publication the last year-and-one-half, journalism still runs in my blood and my thoughts.
In the early 1990s, I wrote columns for the Winsted Journal, which I enjoyed tremendously. That was before blogging became a part of our culture. The following column is one I wrote in February of 1995 during a tough time in my life. There were struggles in my marriage, and I was about to sell my hobby farm. It is a column of gratitude and acknowledgement of the blessings in my life.
Daring to dream
Do you remember what you wanted as a kid? I mean really wanted? The hopes and dreams that filled your heart and mind?
Sometimes we have a tendency to get so wrapped up in our world that we forget what we really wanted. “This bill has to be paid, or this project needs to be finished.”
What happens to those hopes and dreams? Do they disappear because we “grow up” and realize how ridiculous they seem? Do they disappear because we decide it’s time to live in reality?
It’s like Robin Williams in the movie “Peter Pan”. He forgot what was important to him. So much so that he forgot his children. The love was still there, buried. His children needed it to come to the surface. He needed it to come to the surface for himself to be happy.
I don’t think hopes and dreams ever really disappear. I think we just bury them deep in ourselves and try to forget what they are. Sometimes they change instead of disappear. And adjusting or changing what we want is good. As long as there is hope.
I can honestly say that I have had at one time or another almost everything I ever really wanted when I was a kid. I haven’t necessarily been able to keep it, but I had it for a while.
I wanted a husband and children. One husband and four children. I wanted a horse. I had Daisy. I wanted a house with a big country kitchen and some land for the kids to play on. I wanted a place to watch the sunset and have a garden. I wanted out buildings and a pasture. The little lake by my pasture was an added bonus. I wanted to be liked and accepted. I wanted to have friends that I could count on and know they care. The Lord has blessed me richly.
I wanted to be a writer. I have been able to do that, but there is one thing I haven’t had yet. One day I will walk into the library and take my own book off the shelf. Then I can honestly say that I have had all that I dreamed for.
What did you hope for when you were a kid? Did it die out as time went on? What about the talents or little pieces of you that said “I wish I could”? Are they buried?
Do some of the hopes and dreams go away because we think we aren’t good enough for them?
Dare to dream. Dare to hope. You are good enough to grow and grow.
It has taken many years, but I recently reached the last goal in the column: I can now walk into a library and check out my own book.
I am in the process of compiling some of my work into two books: One is about everyday heroes who allowed me the privilege to tell their stories, and one is filled with columns I wrote over the years. Watch for more information as the work progresses.