Dreams

I had a dream the other night. It seemed so real! In my dream, I had over slept. I was in my kitchen, and frantically trying to get breakfast for the boys. My kitchen clock said it was 7:43. I had 2 minutes to get the boys fed, out the door, and off to school, which is a 20 minute drive. My car pool mom was banging on my front door, wondering where I was. It was chaos! I was also trying to light my gas stove, but it wouldn't light. I was so frustrated. On the counter was a baby bottle. I was so confused as to why it was there. And then I heard a noise from upstairs. Everything got very quiet, and I could hear Lilly waking up in her crib. It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard.

That was it. I woke up with that feeling like I had just dreamt about something important. It took me a few minutes to remember what I had been dreaming about. I laid in bed, thinking about it. I tried very hard to remember if I had seen Lilly in my dream. No, I had only heard her. I will never forget those sweet sounds.

That was the most vivid dream I have experienced about Lilly. However, two different times, I have had a very strange dream. Both times, the dream is exactly the same. It goes like this: We are in China. Mike and I are in a big room with many other families, waiting for their babies. A line of nannies come walking into the room, carrying babies. I notice tears of joy on the waiting families. I hear babies crying. All around me, families are being created. I am so nervous, I am shaking. We are the last couple to be called forward. At the end of the line, is a man who approaches us. He is carrying a beautiful, ornate, gold birdcage. Inside, is a tiny, delicate, yellow baby bird. He hands us the cage, and we accept it. He is smiling so proudly at me. Then, suddenly, the dream just ends. I wake up to ponder what I have just dreamt.

Are dreams just a creation of my imagination? Or a series of thoughts, images, and emotions that occur during sleep? The dictionary defines a dream as a state of mind marked by a release from reality. I have a very dear friend who says dreams are whispers from God.

What I know for sure is that my dreams of Lilly are born in my heart.