Dreams Do Come True... by Bernie Rosage, Jr |
"Dreams Do Come True" Dreams have intrigued us since the beginning of time. Many universities have spent millions of dollars on the study of dreams, their patterns and meanings. It has been proven that we dream every night. Seldom do we realize this or remember them. We can only speculate on their symbolism and meanings. No matter, we must concede they exist and for a reason ... whatever, the reason may be. Visions and dreams were experienced by many people in the Bible. Joseph gained favor with Pharaoh by interpreting his dreams. The same for Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar. When Joseph wanted to separate from Mary secretly because she was pregnant, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:19-21) Even as Jesus was brought before Pilate on the day he was crucified, Pilate's wife sent for him, saying, "Have nothing to do with this righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him." (Matthew 27:19) Since my sister's death, I haven't dreamt that much ... or at least, I haven't realized it. Grief has exhausted me and my sleep patterns have been somewhat disturbed. I have been impatiently waiting for a comforting dream of my dear sister. You know the type; she's happily in Heaven, walking on streets of gold with God .... or, she visits me saying, "Hey brother, I'm fine, it's beautiful here and you are going to love it, I'll watch over you till you get here, I love you and I'll meet you at the gate when it's your time." Well, those dreams haven't been dreamt yet ... anyway, not by me. I guess I should be thankful that I'm not having nightmares. But, I would settle for a month of nightmares for just one glimpse of her sweet face, and to hear her voice in one of those dreams that seem so real it is hard to tell where reality stops or starts. Dear reader, have you ever had a dream that seemed that real? We all have. That's the kind I need. I can't help but think that when we die, this life will seem like a dream and we will awaken to the awesome things that await us. God himself, promised us that, if we only believe. God heard my prayer and blessed me with such a dream. Not like one I mentioned, but one that has had a definite impact on me. One I am forever grateful to Him for. He surely works in mysterious ways; he molds us, instructs us, and comforts us in ways foreign to us ... but not Him. Dear reader, picture a family shattered by the unexpected loss of one of it's dearest members. It was an accident that took her from us suddenly, while she was in the prime of life. The nature of the accident is unimportant, the result would be the same. The method of the loss is irrelevant to the LOSS. We miss her dearly and would give anything to have her with us still ... if only we could go back in time. Unfortunately a time machine is only the figment of H.G. Well's mind and the hope of ours. But I have learned that with God, all things are possible! Here's my dream .... minus names and places so as not to limit this dream as just mine. This dream is for anyone who needs a dream. My dream carries me back in time to the day before my sister's tragic death. Our whole family is present; husband, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephew. We are traveling together to the home of my sister. Each one us, with the exception of my sister, knows what tomorrow will bring. We are dreadfully sad but happy at the same time for being given this special time. We are careful not to show any emotion that might affect my sister. We want her to be as full of life as we remember her. On the trip, we are closer than we can ever remember ... we share memories, jokes, and heartfelt love with one another. The things that you would do and say if you knew that you would never be with that person again. When we arrive at her home, each one of us, somehow, manage to spend special alone time with her. As each family member comes out of her room and another goes in, we experience sadness and joy at the same time. Tears flow freely but are quickly wiped dry as she comes out only to be escorted back to her room by another family member. When it comes to my turn I think to myself, "What will I say?" We spend time together that is beyond description. When it is time for me to leave, I tell her how much I love her and ask a favor of her. "Dear sister, you are so special to me, will you please give me some keepsake from you that I may treasure always?" Her response and reply will forever be imprinted on my mind. She simply put her arms around me, squeezed me with a tight hug, looked into my eyes and said, "I love you and that is the most valued treasure I can give you." With that I awoke from my dream. How many people get a chance to go back in time and receive such a gift? A gift that clearly reveals the true value of people and the importance of the PRESENT moment. Some may say it was only a dream and that it doesn't mean anything. You can rest assured that Joseph and I won't settle for that reply! In reality we can never go back, so we must lean into the wind and press forward through this storm. God may raise His hand and calm this storm ... He may not. If He doesn't, I know that He will place His hand on us and calm us. So with His help we go forward ... pressing ever closer to the day when we will be with Him and our beloved again ... where He will personally wipe away our tears forever! With all my Love, A Grateful Brother |
FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS A DREAM OF THE LOVED ONE THEY MISS. |
THE PRESENT (Author Unknown) Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What do you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Each of us has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the day's deposits; the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running, make the most of today. To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student that failed a grade. To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a pre-mature baby. To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed. To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask the man that missed his train. To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask the person who just avoided an accident. To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics. Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you've shared it with someone SPECIAL... Special enough to share your time. And remember that time waits for no one. |
