Dreams don’t have to be dreamy to be true

Dreams don’t have to be dreamy to be true 

Poem by Christi Ortiz | FāVS News

So often I’ve thought of Martin Luther King Jr. and the struggle and devastation he faced. His daily bread was hope and working for justice even when his current reality held none. 

This gives me hope and strength for all of us to keep on hoping and keep on working to build something beautiful. We are given dreams for a reason. We are given dreams for a season. They are dreams because they are not yet reality. 

I used to think that struggle in the dream meant something was wrong. Aren’t dreams supposed to be dreamy? How can tragedy and setbacks and despair be included? 

We can romanticize history’s dreams and dreamers, but their daily realities were fraught with struggle, uncertainty and living day in and day out in the “not yet.”

We may struggle because we want it to be so now. But dreams are the bridge to becoming that are built stone by stone, moment by moment. And bridge builders may not live long enough to see its completion, but every stone counts. Every moment of hope, every kind act, every action towards justice counts. Dreams don’t come out of thin air, they come out of fat care. Fat enough to persevere, thick and wide enough to hold it all. Tough enough to keep on in the dark even when the dream isn’t dreamy. 

Because the dark holds the seeds, like jewels in the night sky, until they are ready to sprout. Even now as the ground is frozen, spring is stirring underneath, preparing her return. 

Dreamy or not, dreams that are true, always come true. What are you dreaming into being?

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.