dream it

do you ever find that you dream up something and then think...

"nope, won't happen"

or

"nice thought... I wish.. but, it wouldn't work.."

not that long ago I was having coffee with my sister & our friend

and we were talking about how cool it would be if we, as sisters, could be neighbours one day

see, josh & leah own a piece of land on henderson hwy

and the land beside it was vacant...

we said it would be so wonderful

our kids could wait for the school bus together

we could raise our kids together

build a giant play structure in the back yard

have porches that face one anothers houses

(although i'd probably have to close the blinds if i chose to walk around naked.. wouldn't want to scar my brother!)

wouldn't that be so nice?

my parents raised us in anola

in the beautiful country

a lot of our lives happened in the city, but we made it work

i became a master of changing into my choir uniform in the car

i helped out at my mom's work while i waited to go home

we spent many hours in the car, chatting, listening to worship music

or to "dr laura schlessinger"

we made it worth while to live out in the country

playing on haybales, helping with the cows or the chickens

but one of my most favorite things about anola

was that we lived side by side with auntie maryann & uncle nelson

we had many sleepovers there

saturday dinners, where auntie made her famous lemon meringue pie

often on christmas day we would open presents at one house

and eat at the other

they were second parents to us

and i LOVED it

how wonderful would it be to have that experience with josh & leah?

and for our kids to grow up so close together (i realize i have no kids, and none on the way, but eventually!)

anyway, we talked, and we dreamed but we figured (or at least I figured)

"its too good to be true"

however, my brother, being the determined & skillful guy that he is

was willing to do the work to make this happen

phone calls, lawyer visits, trips to the land title office

things started falling into place

i remember a couple of weeks ago josh called me and said

"it just feels like it's right, like it's what God wants to happen for us"

of course! how could i doubt that, or limit God?

he hears all our dreams and thoughts (spoken and unspoken)

and he desires good for us

so, a couple months later since our first mention of this "possibility" and here we are

proud land owners (thanks to the wonderfully generous loan from my parents)

with plans to build a house beside our family

(and only 3 minutes from the retreat house/mom & dad!)

last night we walked the land with josh & leah

and my dad happened to be driving by, and stopped in

our future! our new home

our dreams coming true!!

i want to add one thing to the picture up top

dream it

trust God with it

and do it!

it doesn't surprise me then, that God reaffirmed my thoughts with scripture

the verses that are being used this Sunday at the church that I work at

as I was typing in the scripture I couldn't help but smile

NOTHING is too big or "out there" for God

¹⁰ Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

   Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

 ¹³ Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” 

genesis 18:10-14