Addendum...

    One of the things that I miss is the vividness of my dreams.  I’m not sure what has happened but over the last 5-10 years the memories of my dreams have basically disappeared.  Though I know I have them because all of us have dreams every night, I have not been cognizant of dreaming and certainly not remembering.
    When I was in college I had a professor of Spirituality that made us keep a dream journal as part of the class.  This meant that we kept a pen and pad beside the bed and trained ourselves to wake up enough to write down what we remembered about the dream after the dream was over.  Though many of the writings made no sense and were illegible, it was in interesting insight into the soul, for our dreams express much about where we are with God and where we are in life.
    Last night, however, I was awakened by one of the most vivid dreams I have had in years, and it was directly related to what I wrote in yesterday’s blog – “The Presence and Power of God.”  Much of the stress I wrote about in that blog came from the loss of a friend and dear church member and the many emotions/thoughts that went into preparing the funeral and giving pastoral care.  Now to the dream.
    In my dream I dreamt I went to a nursing home to visit someone, and there I was greeted by two sisters from our congregation who are some of the sweetest women on earth.  They somehow were connected with the nursing home and I think they were volunteers there.  As in dreams everything was a bit fuzzy, but what I realized was that I was there, to visit more than just one person but to visit many people by having lunch there.
    These two sisters said to me, “We have dinner all set.  Ken provided it for us.” (Ken is the person who died last week.)  I looked down at the packaging for the meal, and the food came from the “Rainforest Café,” one of my family’s favorite places to eat.  As they opened up the bags, they explained that Ken loved “Rainforest” and he especially loved 2 meals that were there, as well as Pepsi.  In those bags were multiple orders of one item but Ken’s 2 special orders, and enough Pepsi to serve everyone.  It was then that I woke up from the dream.
    Now it may seem to be a bit of an odd dream to have, but I was struck by a few things.  I was again, struck by the vividness and the fact that it was memorable.  That hadn’t happened in awhile.  I was also struck by the characters in the dream, for these two are quiet, faithful servants who would be in the middle of such a situation in real life.
    I was also interested in the fact that the food came from the Rainforest Café.  After all, the closest one to where I live is hundreds of miles away, and yet it is a place where my family has shared some great memories.  The memories of my children in awe of the sounds and visions of eating in the middle of a rainforest are some of the most joyful memories I have of their childhoods.
    Most significant to me was the fact that this was a meal scene, a Last Supper of sorts, and for this man to offer this, especially in his absence was so characteristic of him.  I believe it was a way in which he was/is reaching out and saying “thank you.”  And it is so appropriate that he would choose something special, just for me...that which he loved, he just had to share, including the Pepsi.

    During this season of Lent we are on a path that heads to the cross, but just before we get there, this Jesus sits down with the disciples and has a meal with them.  He shares what will happen, but he offers himself for all, and he says, “Take.  Eat.”  They do, and life is shared.  They do, and everything is put together.  They do, and though not then, on the other side of the empty tomb, there is much thanksgiving.  So much so that the very name of this meal, Eucharist, means “Thanksgiving.”

    Maybe it’s just a dream, but I tend to think it is more.  At least for me, it is a gift that puts all things in perspective, and for that I give thanks...