God gave me a dream when we left our last full time ministry. I dreamed that I had gone to a neighbor’s house to see some brand new kittens. On my way back, I was surprised to see a thin layer of snow coating the ground.After all, we were living in San Diego. I looked back at my bare footprints and thought, “That’s odd. My feet aren’t even cold.”
I came to an iron gate, presumably to my back yard. It was as if I stepped from winter into spring. A kaleidoscope of flowers grew profusely. I stopped at a Bougainvillea and exclaimed at its beauty. Everywhere I turned, there were roses, and climbing flowers of every kind. “I planted some of these,” I said out loud, “but I’m so surprised at how they’ve grown!”
I came to an iron gate, presumably to my back yard. It was as if I stepped from winter into spring. A kaleidoscope of flowers grew profusely. I stopped at a Bougainvillea and exclaimed at its beauty. Everywhere I turned, there were roses, and climbing flowers of every kind. “I planted some of these,” I said out loud, “but I’m so surprised at how they’ve grown!”
As a child enjoys opening gifts on Christmas morning, I had enjoyed the gifts God gave me to use—teaching Sunday School, planning themes for retreats, and home-schooling my children. Now we were leaving after seven years there, feeling as if the wind had gotten knocked out of us during a couple years of severe trials. This dream was the encouragement I needed.
After a year in a retirement village, with no employment prospects, we decided to return to our home town of Boise, Idaho. Again, I remembered the dream and took comfort. It seemed to promise new life (the kittens), help in adversity (my feet were OK in the snow), and a blooming of gifts in my life (the flowers). Well, things got off to a slow start. We found a loving church, but when the teens needed a teacher; my offer to teach was ignored. A year or so later, I saw a need for a college age class and again offered to teach. The assistant pastor turned down my offer and refused to give any explanation. (I learned, as time went by, that this conservative church placed limitations on women’s ministry.) My children also grew up and my home-schooling years ended. How I longed for the fulfillment of my gifts that I had experienced in the past. We found a new church where I did begin a class for the few college aged adults, but it fizzled. It was then that I realized that I was trying to duplicate what I’d had before; and that God had something new for me.
Needing a job, I began working in the Boise School District. I started out working one-on-one with an intelligent, cute little boy who needed a lot of direction. A few more years and many experiences later, I was asked to help in the extended resource classroom at Les Bois Jr. High. What fun! It was like time travel. I could attend classes, except with the appreciation of an adult for learning, and I could help my students learn. There is practically no greater joy! By this time, I became eligible for an amazing senior discount at Boise State University and embarked on another adventure, taking one class per semester, to finish a degree I’d begun decades ago. One day, as I rejoiced in my endeavors, my dream reappeared on the screen of my mind. “The flowers did bloom in my life!” I realized. “And some of these flowers were planted in my life long ago! Look at how they’ve grown!”
