Once I had a dream...

 

Often when we're on the road to somewhere, I notice the old remains of a home, a barn, a corral. What's left is clearly empty and deserted, weeds grown all around, in disrepair, big gaps in roofs and walls, even starting to decay and fall over.

Or it may be an entire "ghost town" empty and deserted. Or an apparently failed business. Or sometimes a mine site high in the mountains. There are a number of kinds of similar "abandoned" sites we see from time to time.

Whenever I see ruins like this, I always wonder about the history of the site. Once upon a time, someone had a dream. They spent a lot of time, effort, and energy into creating what they hoped was going to be a livelihood or a contribution to society or a happy family setting. But something ended the dream. Someone died or was injured; economic conditions changed; a natural disaster influenced the possibilities; a greater opportunity presented other options. Who knows?? But there is a story behind each building, each site. There were real people, real lives, real dreams.

I admit that when I see these sites I often hear in my mind strains of "Once I Had a Dream" by Marvin Payne, or "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

"I dreamed a dream in times gone by

When hope was high and life worth living...

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."

I sometimes wonder what it would take in my life to have one of my dreams collapse like that. It's probably much less likely for most of us in today's world. We don't just abandon our homes or businesses - we sell them to someone else.

Of course, the physical building is just one outward symptom of that the dream represented. There are other less-visible aspects that might include crushed hopes, family tragedies, etc. We still have plenty of that in our time!

I #GiveThanks that most dreams don't end in such profoundly heartbreaking ways. But it's also good to realize that people have dreams that are worth fighting for, even when the fight can be lost. It inspires me to recognize that there is a willingness to try, to struggle, to give all they have to give.