A few weeks ago, Tom and I were talking about dreams. I was expressing my admiration of Tom’s ability to have seemingly countless dreams. I explained that I had always felt a great hesitancy to have dreams because, for me, dreams were too tightly combined with goals- and I didn’t want to set a goal I couldn’t accomplish. Hence, my desires for the future were always quite narrow, limited. Tom on the other hand hopes to be an astronaut, or top-notch doctor, or cutting-edge researcher, or live in Italy, or have a wonderful simple family life. . . and it seems he is content with any outcome.

I have very few dreams. Or had very few dreams, but in the past weeks since this conversation I have delighted in developing many more. I still have the childhood desire to develop Barbara Streisand-equivalent musical success. But I also have a dream that some day I will have a yard large enough to house a large garden- with a whole section for growing flowers solely for cutting- rows and rows of them. I have a dream that my family life will be calm enough that my children will spend hours reading, that we will go on long bike rides together, and that we will spend hours laughing at the dinner table. I have dreams of highly successful children. I have dreams of starting my own musical performing group where I direct musicals and concerts. I have dreams of going into academia and starting up a voice pedagogy program at a University. I have dreams of living in a foreign country, of serving missions with my husband. All in all, my greatest dream is to be happy and content in any stage of life. To truly enjoy each day for what it has to offer.

It’s been amazing how expanding my perspective of what would make my life “successful” has eased my stress and brought a new measure of happiness and peace into my life. Who knows what might come my way, which of these dreams may materialize. All I can do is work hard to make the most of each day and each talent and trust that the Lord will fill my life with the rich experiences that my heart desires.