Dream! Come Forth! is directed to those who once had a dream and have since abandoned it. Life doesn’t always conform to our hopes and dreams. Although some time has past and you have been diverted to other things, that doesn’t mean your dream is lost. There is hope, and where there is hope, there is life!

Key Points

1. Ignorance is not Bliss
2. Dead Dreams Waking
3. See It? Be It! Do It!

First impressions? What comes to mind when you look at the picture of this tree? Pitiful? What was she thinking?

When Hope Lives

I’d like to introduce Lazarus. Yes, I named my tree. Two weeks ago he came to me beautiful, leaves bursting on every branch, and standing tall and proud. Finally, I had gotten to a place where I could landscape my front yard to my liking. I wasn’t too specific about many of the plants chosen for the landscape except one.  I wanted a Japanese Maple tree.  Japanese Maples transport me back to the years spent in Connecticut. The deep, scarlet leaves amid an array of brilliant orange and yellow foliage ring Fall in New England. I made such particulars about the tree that my handyman was careful to select the most perfect specimen.

During the planting I stayed inside waiting in anticipation of seeing the finished project with of course the Japanese Maple being the central attraction.  And he did not disappoint. I walked out and the landscaping was just what I wanted but oh, the Japanese Maple stole the show. Although still a young tree, it stood as if posing, flexing its leaves as if it knew I was admiring it. Two sets of Sky Pencil Hollies framing the shrubs and azaleas with the Japanese Maple center stage was picturesque to say the least!

With the project completed, my handyman gave me instructions on watering the shrubs and trees. Okay, so I water twice a day. Got it! I began my care-taking enthusiastically knowing as these young shrubs and trees grew everyone would enjoy them as much as I was now. So, watering I did.  Every day, twice a day. About day four I noticed a leaf on two on the Japanese Maple had curled up. I didn’t think much of it because it was only a few and there were plenty healthy leaves remaining. The Pencil Hollies were losing a few leaves here and there as well but overall, they continued to flourish. It wasn’t until a day or so later I saw more leaves curled up. I thought perhaps I was over watering the maple because when I watered it the water would bubble up and linger around the base of the tree. So, I began to hold back on the water, even skipping it a couple of sessions to give the root a chance to dry out.

When Hope Dies

One morning, a couple days later I went out to water and much to my shock, there was the Japanese Maple… leaves curled up and now only a few were viable! What on earth happened! I thought maybe disease, insects…I just didn’t know. The tree was dying! I was desperate. I was killing my maple tree! It was a holiday but I found a nursery opened and called.  The urgency in my voice told the lady who answered the call not to even ask if I had purchased the tree there (I hadn’t), just help this poor woman! I told her that I thought I had over watered my tree and it was dying. I described the leaves to her. She said if the leaves curl around your finger when you wrap them, then it’s too much water but if the leaves are dried up and flaky then it needs water. Then I told her about the water bubbling up and lingering around the base. She explained it needs to be moist at least 14 inches below the surface to get the water it needs. Surface moisture is not an indicator for knowing if the root ball is receiving sufficient water. I thanked her and hurried outside and laid the hose wide open at the base of the tree.

I stood in front of the tree apologizing for almost killing it and praying it would recover. Then it came to me. No, ignorance is not bliss, it has its consequences. That’s when I named it. I named my maple tree Lazarus. Lazarus died (John 11:1-44) but Lazarus returned from the dead to live again! That would be my tree.                                                                                                                                                               

So why am I talking about a tree? Stay with me, I do have a point that may pique your interest.

When Hope is Reincarnated

Going through this with the Japanese Maple made me think about my dreams. I have had recurring dreams and waking visions of seeing myself doing a particular thing. You know, the dreams you had when you were younger, perhaps many seasons ago or perhaps not so long ago. Of course, I’ve written off the recurring dream of me running across tin rooftops in an effort to escape alien space ships. Too many episodes of “Lost in Space” I guess. But the more realistic ones, when first conceived, were exciting. Thoughts and plans flowed freely. You may have even invested some money in it. Then over time, still with the best intentions, what was a blossoming dream in the making has now evolved into notes on scraps of paper that remind you of what once was but is no more. Has a new and better dream replaced the former? If not, it may appear as a dream lost.

Tell me this. Do you still feel a tinge of excitement when you reminisce about your dream? Do you come across situations that remind you of those former aspirations? If you do, then your dream is not dead. It’s waiting on you to learn how to nurture it, how to grow it, feed it, prune it. Learn how, it’s not going to fall in your lap. So, if you’re courageous and dare to put yourself out there, name it. Name your dream. Slap it on the rear end and say,” I’m your moma and I’m back!”  Give it life again.

For myself, I began to think my dream was a figment of my imagination. It didn’t materialize in the time-frame I figured it would, and I waited and waited and finally left it unattended years ago. Thank God there is no protective services for dreams or I would be charged with abandonment!  But anyway, I’ve discovered something wonderful. My dream was not dead, rather it morphed itself into something I didn’t instantly recognize. In fact, I came into it through the back door unaware this was my dream unfolding! The mechanism that fulfills my dream today didn’t even exist when I first twirled the dream around in my mind! A dream come true not as I envisioned it but yet the results are exactly the same! So be open-minded. There is more than one way to fulfill your dream.  Your dream is waiting for you to recognize it in its present form. Dust off that dream, water it, work it. It never died but perhaps it’s in a transformed state waiting for you to SEE IT.

Then, perhaps it’s not the dream that needs to be awakened, it’s YOU!

 

 

Now I will leave you with a few lesson summaries from my experience with Lazarus, the Japanese Maple Tree.

Lesson from Growing

Just a few words of caution, dreams grow appendages quickly in our minds.  Make sure your dream doesn’t get too big for your tools, simply put, your resources. Water it, work it more than just ‘good enough’. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that you will never see but it is vital to healthy growth. Prune it, cut it back to something you can manage now. Then as you expand your tools, you can allow the dream to expand with you.

Lesson from the Leaves

The leaves on the Japanese Maple were a reflection of how well I was caring for my tree. I had to go to an expert to learn to read my tree. Your dream has indicators to tell you how well you are caring for it. Seek help from experts in that field. Learn from them. Winging it without a body of content won’t get you off the ground. You would be just flapping in the wind making a lot of noise with no forward movement.

Lesson from the Root Ball

The hole dug in the ground to plant the tree was twice the size of the root ball. Before the tree was placed in the hole, the hole was layered with soil conditioner then the tree was packed in place with rich top soil. I live in North Carolina where the soil is not soil it is clay, red clay. Growing the roots through the top soil and then the soil conditioner gives the roots a good strong start to be able to burrow through the clay. Take time to put supports in place that will facilitate and guarantee the outcome of your dream. Yes, it’s more work, time and money…but it will be worth it!