Dreams Do Come True, Julie
Julie had dreams, man did she. We first met when we were 15, she was going to be an Olympic Gold medalist in track, then gain a scholarship to Oregon State where she was going to study medicine and specialize in child hood cancer research. Her ultimate goal was to work at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. When Julie would discuss her dreams she did it with so much enthusiasm. I remember one evening we were walking across a parking lot, she was looking up at the sky with her dark hair blowing in the wind repeating "dreams come true for people like me and you". That little soliloquy has stuck with me forever. I reflect back often about her youthful flare and exuberance for life and when I do, it is that moment that brings me much warmth and hope.
For just a few minutes I urge you to STOP reading and think back to a time and place to where your dreams seemed bigger than life. Your goals and ambitions were as high as the mountain peaks and your imagination had the ability to take you too places few dared to explore. Life didn't have to be grand for our dreams to take root, did they? No matter what came at us, no matter how difficult it was to get from one day to another, we could still cling to those dreams that provided us with the hope to carry on. But then slowly but surely the youthful excitement for life begin to fade and before long those dreams were barely a distant memory. We became entrenched in a society that punishes dreams and rewards conformers. We come to believe in the narrative "dreams I'll never see".
By the time Julie turned 16 the symptoms of her cystic fibrosis had made it difficult for her to get out of her house. She required oxygen most of the time and due to poor liver and pancreas functions she struggled to have energy for much of anything. Thank goodness she enjoyed talking on the phone which gave us the ability to stay in touch. No matter how Julie felt, she never once gave way to believing in her dreams. No question, she knew she was sick, she understood her limitations at the time, but her hope NEVER wavered. She believed without a shadow of a doubt that her dreams would come true. She was going to be that track star that would pave the way for her entry into college. Oh, I failed to mention that she never ran track a day in her life, nor was she able to attend school midway through her sophomore year. But, let me tell you, she had a passion bigger than the ocean and nothing was going to get in her way. Her health was only an obstacle for the outsiders looking in. For Julie it just gave her more time to imagine, I mean she was a DREAMER.
You obviously know the outcome of this story. Prior to her junior year Julie died of complications due to cystic fibrosis. The last couple weeks of her life she was unconscious. The last time we spoke was probably a couple months prior to her death. Her voice was weak but her vision was as strong as ever. She knew that at anytime she was going to wake up from the nightmare of illness and live the dreams of life. If someone as sick as Julie could have such a belief in LIFE, why can't we. She had every reason to give up, yet the sicker she got the bigger her dreams became. Sure many can explain it away as dreams were her great escape, but you didn't know her. She wasn't escaping anything, she knew all too well that her body was struggling to carry her towards the passionate purpose she knew she had.
Julie had something that I have witnessed in few people since. Her family was working class blue collar American labor. They struggled to have anything due to the financial strains of caring for their daughter. I have to say that Julie must have gotten her zest for life from her parents because I never once heard them complain. They helped Julie cling to the dream that her life had hope and her future was bright. They taught her how to get the most out of everyday, even when you are faced with obstacles so high you can't see the light of day. Julie was surrounded by people that lifted her up not pushed her down. Can you say the same thing?
What's your excuse? I must ask you something, how much of your time do you spend complaining because you feel like you got dealt a bad hand in life? How often do you find yourself getting caught up in someone else's victim mentality, pity party, hold me back, push me down, ridiculous line of reasoning? Maybe you feel empowered to blame someone or something on your lack of commitment to pursue the dreams you once held. Keep in mind if we own our own place in life that means we have to take responsibility to make it better. No one is going to walk into your life and make our dreams come true. Julie understood, even on her worse days, that the only way to make life worth living, is to put everything you have at your disposal into it. All Julie had to work with was her imagination, her hope, and her belief that God created her to do amazing things, and believe me she did just that.
Just for a minute as we conclude this blog, I want you to make a mental picture of exactly what you think is holding you back. As that picture comes into focus I want you to consider everything you have at your disposal to work with. Most likely you have two eyes that see, two ears that hear, a heart that beats, arms and hands to work with, and legs to carry you. We all have so much yet we still find excuses as to why we can't dream anymore. We chalk it up as "it's just reality". Well, I choose to see reality as a place that fosters a passion to dream, a place that restores hope and makes my soul yearn for a connection to my heart, mind and creator. If I give anything less than my best then I have done a disservice to the life I have been given. I can't waste another minute blaming anyone or anything, this is my time to shine. If it is to be it is up to me. Julie lived her dreams, oh yes she truly did. In your eyes her dreams may not have come true, but in her eyes "dreams come true for people like me and you".
God bless
Dale
For just a few minutes I urge you to STOP reading and think back to a time and place to where your dreams seemed bigger than life. Your goals and ambitions were as high as the mountain peaks and your imagination had the ability to take you too places few dared to explore. Life didn't have to be grand for our dreams to take root, did they? No matter what came at us, no matter how difficult it was to get from one day to another, we could still cling to those dreams that provided us with the hope to carry on. But then slowly but surely the youthful excitement for life begin to fade and before long those dreams were barely a distant memory. We became entrenched in a society that punishes dreams and rewards conformers. We come to believe in the narrative "dreams I'll never see".
By the time Julie turned 16 the symptoms of her cystic fibrosis had made it difficult for her to get out of her house. She required oxygen most of the time and due to poor liver and pancreas functions she struggled to have energy for much of anything. Thank goodness she enjoyed talking on the phone which gave us the ability to stay in touch. No matter how Julie felt, she never once gave way to believing in her dreams. No question, she knew she was sick, she understood her limitations at the time, but her hope NEVER wavered. She believed without a shadow of a doubt that her dreams would come true. She was going to be that track star that would pave the way for her entry into college. Oh, I failed to mention that she never ran track a day in her life, nor was she able to attend school midway through her sophomore year. But, let me tell you, she had a passion bigger than the ocean and nothing was going to get in her way. Her health was only an obstacle for the outsiders looking in. For Julie it just gave her more time to imagine, I mean she was a DREAMER.
You obviously know the outcome of this story. Prior to her junior year Julie died of complications due to cystic fibrosis. The last couple weeks of her life she was unconscious. The last time we spoke was probably a couple months prior to her death. Her voice was weak but her vision was as strong as ever. She knew that at anytime she was going to wake up from the nightmare of illness and live the dreams of life. If someone as sick as Julie could have such a belief in LIFE, why can't we. She had every reason to give up, yet the sicker she got the bigger her dreams became. Sure many can explain it away as dreams were her great escape, but you didn't know her. She wasn't escaping anything, she knew all too well that her body was struggling to carry her towards the passionate purpose she knew she had.
Julie had something that I have witnessed in few people since. Her family was working class blue collar American labor. They struggled to have anything due to the financial strains of caring for their daughter. I have to say that Julie must have gotten her zest for life from her parents because I never once heard them complain. They helped Julie cling to the dream that her life had hope and her future was bright. They taught her how to get the most out of everyday, even when you are faced with obstacles so high you can't see the light of day. Julie was surrounded by people that lifted her up not pushed her down. Can you say the same thing?
What's your excuse? I must ask you something, how much of your time do you spend complaining because you feel like you got dealt a bad hand in life? How often do you find yourself getting caught up in someone else's victim mentality, pity party, hold me back, push me down, ridiculous line of reasoning? Maybe you feel empowered to blame someone or something on your lack of commitment to pursue the dreams you once held. Keep in mind if we own our own place in life that means we have to take responsibility to make it better. No one is going to walk into your life and make our dreams come true. Julie understood, even on her worse days, that the only way to make life worth living, is to put everything you have at your disposal into it. All Julie had to work with was her imagination, her hope, and her belief that God created her to do amazing things, and believe me she did just that.
Just for a minute as we conclude this blog, I want you to make a mental picture of exactly what you think is holding you back. As that picture comes into focus I want you to consider everything you have at your disposal to work with. Most likely you have two eyes that see, two ears that hear, a heart that beats, arms and hands to work with, and legs to carry you. We all have so much yet we still find excuses as to why we can't dream anymore. We chalk it up as "it's just reality". Well, I choose to see reality as a place that fosters a passion to dream, a place that restores hope and makes my soul yearn for a connection to my heart, mind and creator. If I give anything less than my best then I have done a disservice to the life I have been given. I can't waste another minute blaming anyone or anything, this is my time to shine. If it is to be it is up to me. Julie lived her dreams, oh yes she truly did. In your eyes her dreams may not have come true, but in her eyes "dreams come true for people like me and you".
God bless
Dale
Comments