{dreams & hope} {hope & dreams}

Today, much like many days, I was sitting here wondering what I should blog. I had something different in mind until I checked Facebook and saw that a friend had some really exciting news to share. You can read about it on her blog.

It brings up a question I've been thinking about. And think about often.

What does it look like when the life you live starts to merge with the one you've imagined? What does it look like when your dreams become your reality?

I don't have an answer for those questions. I do have thoughts. I do belive I am in the early stages of merging my imagined, dreamed of life with my daily reality.

I love building Single Stone. I love building Single Stone with Billy. I'm not sure all married couples can also be business partners but it works for us. It works well for us. We couldn't imagine our lives any differently now that we've finally gotten to this place. A place we planned to be in from the beginning of our marriage almost 15 yrs ago. Sometimes it takes a while to merge the dream with the reality. But don't give up, it will happen. The only failure is that you quit trying. With the death of your effort comes the death of your dreams.

I think our dreams are our hope in life. They are what move us forward each day. What keeps us trying and looking to the future. The hope of getting through school. Discovering our personal gifts and talents. And our personal success using said gifts and talents. Finding someone special to share our lives with. Making and growing a family. Reaching out to those around us to make a difference. Growing the size of our own hearts to be better more compassionate, loving, productive, creative, giving, smart, helpful people.

I think anyone you may talk to who says they are living their dream would also tell you their dream was challenged. Ever watch Oprah? She has shared some amazing success stories with the world but with each of those stories came a challenge of the dream. A challange of the gift of hope.

It's kind of a catch 22, dreams and hope. Without the dreams we don't have hope. Without hope we won't realize our dreams. I hope I never quit dreaming. And I dream that I always have hope.

This is a poem I wrote about a year ago. I still think about it all the time. It's my best expression of how I feel while I stumble through my own process of merging the dream with the reality.

A little of this

a little of that

leftover from this

and found in a stash

Patterned after His likeness

each component chosen

artfully arranged

purposefully placed

With wings to fly

and legs to stumble

she gets back up

passionate yet humbled

Continuing on hope-filled

and finding her dreams

She expected the journey had earned them

but they were given abundant and free