What Dreams are Made of

....I would never want to miss this

'cause in my heart I know what this is

.....This is what dreams are made of

I've got somewhere I belong

I've got somebody to love

This is what dreams are made of.....

I am imagining right now that my sister is freaking out, because I am quoting part of a Lizzie McGuire (Hillary Duff) song. The reason I am quoting the song is not the same as her reason for singing it. No, I have not found "my husband" (lol); however, I do find this portion relevant to my situation. For I am living out my dream. 

Many people never get the chance to live out their dreams. This could be from many reasons; I feel it is mostly due to a fear of the unknown. It is unknown to us whether the "dream" is what we hope it to be. We would rather hold on to the hope of the dream rather than have it to become a reality with the possibility of being disappointed.

Admittedly, I felt this way coming to Brasil and, honestly, still wake up feeling this way. The most important part of my day is reminding myself God would not have put the dream inside my heart to see me fail, and I will not let an attitude of failure keep me from walking it out.

Since I have been here in Brasil, I have been asked twice what my dream is. Both times I had to pause before I answered. Not because I didn't know what my dream was, but because I was reminded I am currently living it. 

During the process of coming here, God had reminded me of discussions I have had with him as well as others about my dream of coming to Brasil. It blows my mind how even things I said when I was a young girl are now coming true. 

I cannot put into words the feeling in my heart to be so blessed to have this opportunity. How is it that I am the lucky one to see the dream come to pass? Many others more qualified than I have not had this chance. The greatest part of it all is "no I am not qualified, not on my own." Through God, I am qualified. Through the obedience of my parents and their prayers, I am able to walk in the inheritance given to me. This is what dreams are made of. 

Yes, it has been difficult at times to figure out how things will work, feeling out of place, and even lonely. I think we all have been a little deceived when it comes to understanding our callings and dreams. It isn't like a fairy tale.... well even in the fairy tales the characters had to overcome before their dreams came true. Cinderella had to have the feeling of disappointment and hurt before the fairy godmother granted her wish. She had to have the fear of the Prince being disappointed with her being common for him to chase after her. I think we tend to overlook those parts of the stories. We want the happy ending; however, we are not willing to overcome the struggles to get there. 

I wonder if the happy endings would be so happy if we didn't overcome the struggles. I was reading a story today with one of the kids called It Could Always be Worse. In the story, a man is complaining about how awful his life is, how poor he is to a rabbi. The rabbi tells him to bring in all his animals into his one-room hut with him, his wife, in-laws, and six children. The man does as he was told and comes back complaining more than before. The rabbi tells him to return the animals outside one day at a time. Once they are all out of the house, the man comes back to the rabbi rejoicing and grateful for his life. After reading the story, I discussed the story with the student. She realized that the man's situation did not change. He was still poor and there were still too many people living in one room. It was only his perspective of his life that changed. Many times the struggles we face are to remind us how blessed we are. Our dream may be to be wealthy, to have a family, or to be successful. But, how we define those things may not be correct.

No, I may not be wealthy financially. No, I may not be married with children. No, I may not have a professional career to which I am moving up the ladder. BUT.... I am wealthy in the blessings of others being willing to provide the things I need. I am surrounded by people with the same heart and vision. People who get me.... even in the most irrelevant parts of me. I am succeeding in the things I was created for; to teach, to love people, and to love God. 

THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!

*** In case you were thinking that I misspelled Brasil, I did not. I spelt it the Portuguese way. :)