During this Thanksgiving season, we give thanks for all we’ve been given. We gather as families and as communities to break bread together, to watch sports, and to relax. Some share with others their time and bounty and many take a few moments to reflect on the gifts they’ve received.
I’ve been given much by my faith community, my ancestors, my family, my co-workers, and my neighbors. I’ve learned unconditional love, giving is more rewarding than receiving, to look for opportunities, not obstacles, ideals are worth risking everything including your life, and dreams are what give our life meaning.
I’ve been taught about and witnessed the power of dreams since early childhood and some of those dreamers and their dreams have stuck with me and molded my life.
There was the dreamer who lived comfortably with his family. He saw his community take advantage and abuse strangers instead of welcoming them and dreamed of a better place. One night he took his family and left before his community was consumed.
Another dreamer grew up in a loving family but was taken to a far-off land. He dreamed of both helping his new community and the family he left behind. With wisdom and planning, he was able to help both survive a great famine and grow into a powerful force.
A dreamer came along who saw his people treated as slaves, beaten, and starved. He dreamed of a better place for his people and led them to that place where they became a great nation.
Then there was the dreamer raised in a small village who watched as his country’s rulers colluded with a foreign government to take advantage of the people. All he could do was feed the hungry, care for the sick, and give the people a common dream of a better future.
A dreamer watched the religious rulers of his day take advantage of the people. He spoke out boldly of a different way and turned religion on its ear.
Another dreamer was trapped by a society where no amount of hard work would allow a better life for his family. He risked everything to follow rumors of land where he could provide a better life for his family. Settling in a new land, he, his family, and his descendants became farmers, soldiers, preachers, educators, and community organizers.
Other dreamers escaped famine and death to travel to an unknown country. They started families but found the land unable to support them. They kept moving until they found land truly flowing with milk and honey. They settled into communities able to produce food for the entire country.
Dreamers have taken their country to war over man’s inhumanity to others knowing a successful outcome would lead to a better life for all.
A dreamer once stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. We traveled to the moon and an exciting time of invention began. Today we can carry phones in our pocket allowing us to speak with another from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. We can watch events including sporting events at the time they are happening anywhere in the world from the comfort of our home as if we are looking through a window.
A dreamer once told us of his dream of everyone living in peace, it started with “I have a dream”
Where are today’s dreamers and what are their dreams? More importantly, what are your dreams?