January 2021Michael and I took a mini vacation last week and stayed at the Cavalier hotel in Virginia Beach for three nights. We were able to stay there because it is off-season. In-season, we would not be able to afford the rates. On the last night at the hotel, I had a dream. A vendor was trying to convince me to buy a purple cloak. I told the vendor that I already had two purple cloaks and had no need of a third. I said if you have something in green, then maybe that would work, but the vendor went away.REFLECTION: To me, purple stands for royalty. I have my earthly spouse who treats me as his queen and I have my heavenly spouse who treats me as his queen. That is all the royalty I need. I do not need the glitter and shine of the wealthy. In fact, staying at the Cavalier made me realize just how much I prefer to shy away from that type of lifestyle. It is so shallow. To me the color green in this dream referred to money. I don’t desire the world to treat me as royalty, but if I were to come into money, I am sure I could find a good use for it. As Michael says, I am very good at giving money away.01/22/2021DREAM: I was at church, but mass had not started yet. I believe it was a mass for the unborn because someone said to me, “You already had your baby.” I thought, oh my, I better get my baby, but I wasn’t sure if the car seat was in my car. Someone offered to get my baby for me, but I knew it was my baby, so my responsibility. I went to make sure I had the car seat in the car.REFLECTION: Usually in dreams I am pregnant which represents that I am going through a spiritual growth. It was interesting to me that I was told my baby was already born. I was wondering, what am I missing? What do I have that I have forgotten about? In talking to our Lord about this, it occurred to me that my baby is my dreams. An experience I had in April of 2008 when Pope Benedict came to Washington DC came to mind. Michael and I won a lottery to attend the mass at the stadium. Our seats were in the upper deck. I was so excited that we were going to be able to attend, and I told our Lord that I would be especially pleased if we could get a close up look at Pope Benedict. That night I had a dream that I was in a room and it was in shadow, as if night-time. There was a wall in the middle of the room about shoulder height. Pope Benedict was on the other side of the wall. I realized that I was in Pope Benedict's private quarters. He looked at me and said, “What do you want?” He seemed like he was anxious to get to bed. I told him that I wanted a blessing. He gave me a blessing, then turned out the light. The blessing affected me so deeply that I became nauseous. I started heaving and next thing I knew beautiful Flowers we're coming out of my mouth. Shortly after that, I had a dream of a flower attached to a pen. The pen started to write in the air kind of like a sparkler in the night. I remember back then I thought it had something to do with me writing reflections about my dreams. But back then, I was doing my best to detach from my dreams, so I had stopped writing anything about them. I feel like our Lord is telling me that now I have given birth to a spiritual maturity and he would like me to nurture my gift of dreams.01/23/2021DREAM: I saw a Ledger in front of me with several columns. Appraisals were being scheduled and the fee for each appraisal was put in a different column of the Ledger. Every single fee was $500, no matter which column it went under. REFLECTION: 01/24/2021 In my conversation with our Lord this morning, I was wondering how to go forward about my dreams. When they first began in 1998, I excitedly brought my dreams and understandings to my family. That was a disaster! Then I brought my dreams and my understandings to the archdiocese. That was another disaster! After those experiences, for years, I was reluctant to share my spiritual life with anyone, other than my husband and children. In July of 1017, Fr. Gurnee was assigned to SJV as pastor. When he was on the altar, it was as if our Lord said in my ear, this is the spiritual director I promised to send you. Ha, so many years later, when I was no longer searching, expecting, or even wanting a spiritual director. Dutifully, I approached Fr. Gurnee for spiritual direction. He accepted me, and my dreams, non-judgmentally, with discernment and guidance. After a couple years, Fr. Gurnee suggested that I become a Spiritual Director myself, which was quite appealing, but expensive and time consuming during a very busy time in my home life. Fr. Gurnee said, you don’t need a name plate, just ask our Lord to bring you someone in need, and you will know how to help that someone. Just after that, I started to experience dreams about people who would need some type of help, guidance, or encouragement, without knowing identities or circumstances. As these people crossed my path in my life, I could recognize them from my dreams and was able to provide some type of comfort, or encouragement, or guidance. This morning as I was talking to our Lord about this, it came to me that maybe I should write a blog. I don’t know how to do it, I don’t know if it is feasible, I don’t know if it will lead to anything. But without expectation I am excited to try. It is the type of excitement that comes with doing something you believe will please someone you love. The excitement is simply a warmth in my heart.