I Have a Dream

About 47 years ago, one man boldly proclaimed in front of God and an entire nation what some of his dreams were. These were radical thoughts to many at the time.

This is a post that I've wanted to put up for awhile, but I knew there would be no more perfect day than today. Today we celebrate the birthday of the man who proclaimed his dreams. While I was in Orlando, one of the speakers I heard, Matthew Kelly, said that we are a generation that has lost our ability to dream. And if we ever want to have direction in our lives, we need to see a picture of where we may want to go. He says that every so often he will give his employees the task to create a dream list. A list of anything they may want to do. And so here is mine. Here is my dream list. Things I want to do.

I have a dream...

1. to build my own guitar, from scratch.

2. to learn to ride a motorcycle.

3. to ride a motorcycle the entirety of Route 66.

4. to travel throughout Europe, hitting such places as Rome, Paris and Dublin to name a very few.

5. to play my guitar and sing in a live venue again.

6. to find a woman and marry her.

7. to raise a family with said woman.

8. to run a half marathon.

9. to take my wife with me across Europe.

10. to find a job in which I will finally be happy.

11. to read the entire Bible.

12. to write a book.

13. to produce a CD with songs that I've written.

14. to learn how to disassemble, clean and reassemble a firearm without looking for the soul purpose of freaking out any suitor my future daughters may bring home.

15. to visit Jerusalem.

16. to experience one day lived in complete enjoyment of life.

17. to go to a wine tasting in California.

18. to go parasailing.

19. to learn Spanish, French, Italian and Polish fluently.

20. to learn how to play the piano.

21. to help bring people back to their faith.

22. to sleep on the beach.

23. to bungee jump.

24. to find a job that I will love going to each and every day.

25. to spend an entire week's salary by giving it to someone less fortunate than myself.

26. to hike through the Applachian trial.

27. to go on a cruise... in Alaska.

28. to spend a few weeks living in the wilderness.

29. to spend a day in total and complete silence.

30. to stop allowing differences between me and my brother's and sister's to matter in a negative way.

31. to learn how to hunt for survival purposes.

32. to take my parents to the house when Pope John Paul II lived.

33. to fly somewhere.

34. to take care of horses.

35. to own a horse.

36. to work on a ranch.

37. to spend a day just listening to others.

38. to toast a friend at their wedding.

39. to repel.

40. to go mountain climbing.

41. to visit each of the 50 states.

42. to go to a beer tasting in Germany.

43. to go scuba diving.

44. to spend a month living a life of service in a different country.

45. to spend a month living a life of service in this country.

46. to be engulfed by children in a dog pile.

47. to spend a day watching movies.

48. to be a regular at a diner where they know what to bring me instead of having to order.

49. to have a child fall asleep in my arms.

50. to love all as Christ has loved them. Or as near as I can get.

So this is a really small list. But they are things I want to do Some big. Some big to me. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable day celebrating the differences we all share and thinking about their dreams. I think we sometimes forget to do that. Hopefully one day at least some of these will come true.

I hope this finds you all feeling blessed and loved. Because you are.