Ode to My Childhood Summer Days

"Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you." (Marsha Norman)

From the moment I set foot at my current workplace almost three years ago, I knew it was the Lord who led me there. Before that day, I never would have imagined myself working in the business world - numbers, suits, and Donald Trump all intimidated the wits out of me. But because God works in mysterious ways, I ended up working as a temp for a "highly successful financial advisor with a Fortune 500 company located in the San Francisco Financial District." I should have bolted out of there, but I didn't. As always, I trusted the Lord. He has proven to me - time and time again - that He has a way better view up there! He sees things more clearly than I can ever see my circumstances at any given time. Next thing I know, I was offered a permanent full-time position! CLICK HERE to read my blog about that day... :)

I thank God everyday for the wonderful blessing that my work has been, especially for our boss who is a brilliant leader and generous employer. During one of our staff meetings when he encouraged us to share our personal goals for the year, he told us to do an exercise, which was due at our next staff meeting: List 100 things that you want to do in your life. Dream big! They don't have to be achievable, but think about things that you want to do if you had more money, more time, more opportunities...

I was blown away.

First by our boss. Who knows of an employer who would "waste" his precious, revenue-generating time to listen to his staff's dreams - of all things?

And then by the exercise. How fun! I'd never done it before. I thought I could easily fill 100 empty fields of things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see, things I wanted to own... the possibilities were endless.

The exercise ended up being a journey into my soul - embracing my life-long dreams and deep-seated yearnings as part of how the Lord has designed me and all my uniqueness. I finished MY 100 THINGS with a better sense of who I was, and I was simply grateful for being given the chance to even dream once more.

Dreaming belonged in my carefree childhood summer days... when the biggest worry of the mornings was deciding whether to climb the aratiles tree or to cross the creek with my friends... when afternoons were all about who catches the most butterflies and dragonflies... and when evenings were spent filling a jar with fireflies or sprawling under the stars, wondering if there was life outside the Earth - and if so, were they looking back at our planet, wondering if there was life outside their galaxy...

Dreaming belonged to the beach in Zambales, where our entire extended family spent three straight summers together... when mornings of nonstop wave-catching melted into late afternoon strolls, collecting seashells along the shore... and nights were wildly lit by bonfires, songs, and laughter...

My childhood - long gone - was the last time I had the time to dream about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life... until the exercise.


Along with starring in a Broadway musical (ha) and getting a glam makeover for a magazine photo shoot (hahaha), I discovered that there were three dreams that I absolutely have to achieve in my life:

1. Teach my kids how to climb a tree.

2. Go stargazing with my kids.

3. Take my kids to the beach.

I learned that my own simple childhood memories have helped shape me into the person that I am today. Climbing a tree taught me that nothing was impossible once you conquer fear. Stargazing with my cousins taught me that whether there was or was not life outside the Earth, I was special because God created me. And the beach... Oh, the beach taught me not to ever feel sorry for myself. To be in the beach was to be in the presence of something way greater than I was. Being near the ocean drowned all my doubts and worries, and engulfed me with the vastness of God's great love.

And if these important lessons from my childhood were the only things I could ever cross off of MY 100 THINGS, I would consider myself "highly successful."

Dear Lord, thank You for a childhood that I wouldn't trade for anyone else's. Thank You for making my boss an instrument in giving me the opportunity to dream once again. Bless my children with a childhood that they will look back at, as a time of pure wonder and sheer joy.