DREAMS DO COME TRUE

I've been doing some more thinking along the lines of the scripts of our lives. Most of the time without even realizing it, we all have been imaging and writing our personal scripts since we were born. Making pictures in our minds, holding images of things we may have seen and desired, dreaming into being a Life. The grownups present in children's formative years help to place those images and desires that shape a child's life, and ultimately, the life of the adult. What an awesome responsibility! Parents today are much better informed and more aware of the rewards of filling a child's mind with images and experiences that result in an enriched life. Education is so much more than the three "Rs". Art, music, dance, travel, sports, and good food. All of these things can be introduced to children even on small family budgets. Trips to museums, zoos, a local community theater, Little League sports, family camping trips... These all enhance the pictures in a child's mind, and expand their world.

Too many families in my parents' generation believed in the old adage that "children should be seen and not heard". Children's basic needs were met, but forget about it if something a child would like to do cost money or took up their time! Thank goodness, movies were very, very cheap when I was growing up. They made a good baby sitter as well. Between movies and the books from the library that I loved to read, my mind was filled with dreams and images of many fun and beautiful things in the world I would love to see or do. Unfortunately, the movies also implanted many unrealistic or unobtainable desires as well.

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Dreams really do come true! It wasn't until my children and grandchildren started doing the things that I always dreamed of doing, but was unsuccessful at accomplishing, that I recognized this. I think the first time I realized it, I was watching a video my daughter had sent me of one of Audrey's dance recitals. She was very young...maybe six years old. She danced on a big, professionally lighted stage, in gorgeous costumes. At the end, she was presented with a bouquet of roses, and an award as "Miss Tap" -- one of many awards she would receive through the years. Oh, how I would have loved to do that as a young girl! I told my mother that watching Audrey was like living my own dream of being a dancer. I accepted those roses with her! In my mind.

My daughter, Carajean, as a child wished to play the cello (I played the cello for one semester in junior high school, then my parents divorced and I moved to California to live with my grandparents for a while). Carrie was such a tiny child for her age I thought she would be better suited for the viola. I couldn't see her carrying a large cello! She was amazingly talented at the viola, and when she was twelve and thirteen years of age -- after only a couple of years of playing, she played with the Dallas Junior Symphony as well as performing with two professional orchestras. She gave up her music ("Mom, there's no money in music!") when she attended college (a B.S. in biology), and then she went to medical school where she obtained her P.A. degree. (Another dream of mine - a college degree!)

When her children were old enough (Ashlyn started violin at 4), each was enrolled in the Suzuki method. The youngest, Tanner, took up -- you guessed it! The cello! And best of all, Carajean started playing again. I think she and Branch had been married about six or more years before he ever heard her play. She now plays the violin, and plays with an orchestra in Amarillo.

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I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I took guitar lessons at one time. Too bad that our abilities don't always match our aspirations! I learned a few bars of "Alley Cat", but I definitely was not a musician! Older son Craig took up my dream, learned the guitar, had his own "rock band" when he was still in his teens, and eventually became serious and studied classical guitar. I realized another of my dreams when he played his guitar with a violinist at his sister's wedding. They did a beautiful rendition of "Evergreen". When he attends family gatherings, it is understood that he and his son Cameron will bring their guitars and sing and play for us. I'll never forget how Craig brought tears to my eyes when he dedicated a song to me at one of our 4th of July celebrations.. "I Was Raised on Love".

That brings me to another childhood dream. I wanted to be a SINGER! I always sang at every opportunity. I memorized the words to all the popular songs. I sang in a quartet (believe it or not, I sang alto) in grade school. One of the members of that quartet went on into musical theater. I was jealous when I saw her in a lead role in the musical "Oklahoma" in Dallas. By then I was a stay-at-home mother of two. I often wondered if she ever married and had children. (Cast of Anything Goes at Booker T.):Obviously, I do not have a very good singing voice or I would be singing now! This is where I get excited.. My very first grandchild, Cameron, was born with a voice of an angel. As I have told everyone ad infinitum, he is in his third year of a musical scholarship at LSU, studying opera. I have a video of one of his performances at the performing arts high school he attended in Dallas. Guess what? He not only sang in that role, he also DANCED! Talk about dreams coming true. Of course, dancing is not his best talent. Sorry, Cameron. But I have a feeling that if someday he needs to dance in a professional production, he will take lessons and master that art as well! And he also will get that college degree I always dreamed of. (Photo from Seussical the Musical @ Booker T.)

Granddaughter Hannah doesn't show a lot of interest yet in the arts. Her dad tells me she has a really good singing voice. I'm hoping she will follow her big brother and become interested in singing seriously. He was a little older than she when his voice commanded attention at the Unity church I attended. I was as surprised as everyone, and asked his dad why he hadn't told any of the family. His answer was that he felt like everyone thinks their child is somehow "special". So what's wrong with that??

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Son Matthew. As a cute little kid of 4 and 5, he would get his toy guitar and stand on the only part of the floor of my apartment that wasn't carpeted. He would sing to the top of his lungs, plunking on that piece of plastic, and end with a fast shuffle of his little feet. He had watched a TV presentation of Sammy Davis, Jr. tap dancing as a child. When he viewed it, he jumped up and said, "I can do that!" and proceeded to do his version of a tap dance. In the car he would sing the pop songs along with the car radio. "Delta Dawn" was one of his favorites! He did play a trombone for a short period of time in school, but it seems he lost the desire for singing, dancing, or playing an instrument.. probably about the time he got his first dirt bike! He's been saying, "I can do that!" ever since he was that little boy. And he keeps on doing things that this mom never dreamed of!

But, you know what? He has two little ones yet to share in Grandmommy's dreams. Who knows what they will end up dreaming and doing? Travis is already showing all the signs of following in the footsteps of his dad's dreams... dirt bikes and baseball, and oh, how they both love the water! But every now and then, Grandmommy sees a little something else going on. Picture Kelly in her ballet costume!

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None of my children or grandchildren knew that these were my childhood dreams. I believe that the passion and desire I felt growing up for a career in one of the arts.. music, song, dance.. maybe even acting, was so strong that the energy of my thoughts was carried forward into the generations following me.

When I look at the advantages my grandchildren have in achieving anything they can dream, I think of so many other children in the world. What about the precious children in Haiti.. or Pakistan.. or the Sudan? What images are being imprinted on their young minds? What chance do they have of fulfilling dreams of beauty, art, music, dance? Can we all dream for them? Pray for them? Can we spare a little money for the relief agencies who continue to help them? Can we spare a lot?

May all our dreams be beautiful, and may the best of them come true.

Peace and Love,
Marilyn