THAT DREAM

HAVE YOU EVER WOKE UP FROM A DREAM THAT WAS SO VIVID, YOU COULD SWEAR IT HAD BEEN REAL?  HAS THE MEMORY OF SUCH A DREAM REMAINED ON YOUR MIND FOR QUITE SOME TIME?  DO YOU HAVE CERTAIN DREAMS WHICH YOU REMEMBER WITH CLARITY FOR A WHILE?  I CAN ANSWER YES TO THESE QUESTIONS.  I MIGHT SOUND LIKE MARTIN LUTHER KING, BUT, I HAD A DREAM 18 YEARS AGO WHICH IS STILL FRESH IN MY MEMORY.  I REMEMBER EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR DREAM AND I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU TODAY. 
PLEASE DONT THINK I HAVE GONE CRAZY OR THAT I HAVE LOST MY MIND.  I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WRITING A "NOTE" ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR DREAM FOR SOME TIME NOW AND TODAY JUSTS SEEMS LIKE THE DAY TO DO IT.

THE NIGHT I HAD THIS PARTICULAR DREAM, MY SON WAS A LITTLE OVER A YEAR OLD.  I CLEARLY REMEMBER THE PAJAMAS HE HAD ON THAT NIGHT AND I REMEMBER WHAT I WAS WEARING TOO.  LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT WHEN WE WENT TO SLEEP ON OUR SOFA BED THAT NIGHT THAT I WOULD HAVE A DREAM SO VIVID AND REAL.  WHEN THE DREAM STARTED, I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE SOMEWHERE AND I SUDDENLY HEARD THE MOST LOUD, CLEAR, BEAUTIFUL MUISIC I COULD EVER IMAGINE.  IT LITERALLY CONSUMED ANY ACTIVITY WHICH WAS GOING ON.  ONCE THIS MUSIC SOUNDED, I COULD SUDDENLY SEE PEOPLE RUNNING FROM EVERY DIRECTION.  IT WASNT CHAOTIC, IT WASNT THREATENING.  PEOPLE WERE SIMPLY RUNNING TOWARD A HUGE OPEN FIELD.  I RAN WITH THEM. 

IN THIS DREAM, THE MUSIC GOT LOUDER AND I REMEMBER LOOKING UP.  AN ENORMOUS PLATFORM SEEMED TO BE DESCENDING TOWARD THIS FIELD WHERE WE HAD ALL RAN.  AS THE PLATFORM GOT CLOSER, I COULD SEE THE FORM OF A HUGE, DOMINATING PRESENCE.  WHEN I SAY A HUGE PRESENCE, I MEAN HUGE.  LIKE SUPER HUMAN LARGE.  WITH BEAUTIFUL HAIR BLOWING IN THE WIND .  GLEAMING WHITE CLOTHES.  REALLY GLOWING WITH BEAUTY.  I CAN EVEN REMEMBER THE PLATFORM TOUCHING THE GROUND.  PEOPLE WERE RUNNING AND REACHING AND STOPPING AT THE BASE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL PRESENCE.  IN MY DREAM, I GOT RIGHT UP TO THE EDGE OF THIS PLATFORM AND STRETCHED OUT MY HAND. 

WHEN I STRETCHED OUT MY HAND, THIS AWESOME PRESENCE REACHED DOWN.  IN MY DREAM, I COULD FEEL THE WARMTH OF HIS HAND.  I CLEARLY REMEMBER THE WARMTH AND THE STRENGTH OF HIS HAND.  FOR WHATEVER REASON, I WOKE UP AT THAT VERY MOMENT.  ONCE I WOKE UP, I WAS AMAZED TO REALIZE THAT MY HAND STILL FELT WARM.  IT WAS SO REAL.  I COULD STILL FEEL HIS TOUCH.  IT FREAKED ME OUT.  IT BLEW MY MIND. 

THAT HAPPENED 18 YEARS AGO AND I REMEMBER EVERY DETAIL.  I CAN STILL HEAR THE MUSIC AND SEE THE THRONGS OF PEOPLE RUNNING TOWARD HIS PRESENCE.  BACK THEN, I WASNT A CHURCH GOER.  I WASNT LIVING FOR THE LORD OR EVEN REALLY THINKING ABOUT GOD.  IT IS AMAZING TO KNOW  THAT EVEN THEN, GOD WAS THINKING ABOUT ME.  HE WAS WATCHING OVER ME, LOVING ME AND PROTECTING ME EVEN THEN.  I FELT THE WARMTH AND BEAUTY OF HIS PRESENCE. 

AND FOR THESE THINGS, I AM THANKFUL TODAY!