Ready to Dream again!
By: Linda South Honea
I'm ready to dream again! A couple weeks before my divorce was final, I read this passage in Kristin Armstrong’s book, a devotional birthed out of her divorce with Lance Armstrong.
Do you remember being little, playing dress-up or soldiers? Did you climb trees or pretend you were a ballerina? Resurrect your youthful (youth-full) dreams and the fairy tale you dismissed as impossible." — Kristin Armstrong
At the time, it was folly to me that I could think of the future, OR the past, with any kind of joy. I was living in the day-to-day, the hour-by-hour, just trudging along through this unending present.
However, I promised myself on January 1st (no, not a resolution) that I would persevere through this 365-day devotional, no matter where it took me. This day, February 1st, I asked myself: What were your sweet dreams as a little girl?
First, I remembered my favorite books: The Secret Garden, and the stories of a mysterious detective, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Then, a flood of childhood pictures came pushing through the cobwebs entangling my present.
Light dispels darkness.
Mother, Teacher, Princess (Cinderella), Dancer, Singer, Camping, Sailing…
I even remembered pretending to be a symphony conductor in front of my parent’s stereo.
Adulthood, living my life, going to college, raising kids, executing the duties of a military spouse, teaching in ‘women’s’ church groups, ministry schools, volunteering in all manner of places, being responsible.
Responsible.
There – I said it.
I was responsible for… well… the world.
My children’s spiritual growth, my husband’s military career, needy families, my parent’s well-being, keeping my in-laws happy, and, of course, mounds of laundry, a clean, hospitable, reputable, officer’s home… plus my spiritual responsibilities of encouraging believers, jumping through the hoops of ministry training, etc., etc., etc.
Where did the dancer go? Where were the outdoor adventures? What happened to the song? the conductor?
In the movie Hook, Robin Williams, who is really Peter Pan, decides to grow up. As years pass, he becomes an adult workaholic who has no time to play. Williams has forgotten his true identity. Then, Tinkerbell transports him to Neverland, and, one of the lost boys looks closely at Peter, squishes his face into a giant grin, and says,
“Oh, there you are Peter!”
Remember.
On February 1, 2011, I remembered.
I remembered my dreams, my hopes, and my childhood aspirations. A light, a pin light, pierced my darkness.
The God of the impossible miraculously brought me out of the darkness, three years later. I’ve ridden horses along the Lakes of Kilarney, Ireland. I’ve hiked and camped across Texas. I danced at my daughter’s wedding. I sing out loud pretty much anytime I get the notion.
Do you remember your childhood dreams?
Oh!
There you are!
More stories by Linda South Honea
Linda South Honea has been a pioneer her whole life. At 18 months she boldly went bra-less and diaper-less to follow the dog under the fence, out into the big world beyond the back yard. At 6-years-old she stole the neighbor boys’ baseball equipment because they wouldn’t let girls play. Linda was the first of her siblings to fly on a plane(remember Braniff Airlines?); and she has traveled the world many times since. As a PFC’s wife, she was awarded the Molly Pitcher Medal (highest honor of the U.S. Army Artillery given to a civilian woman), when she started one of the first family support organizations at Fort Sill, OK. While her family lived under terrorist threat in Germany, Linda and six other women led, served, and reassured 200+ women during Desert Storm.
2008 brought a battle that Linda didn’t have the “proper gear” for… betrayal, adultery, shunning, and a divorce that was worse than death. She has since learned to find her true identity in 'being' rather than 'doing.' Linda’s laughter and humor change the atmosphere! Many folks have said that her words, albeit in heavily accented TEXAN, propel them forward courageously, and, that Linda is an authentic, honest woman of God.
"My heart's desire is to see that people are set free to live out their dreams, that women serve alongside men on any and all battlefields, and that families be reunited and restored."
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