** Today happens to be my Mom’s birthday. Happy Bday Mommy-Swammy!! You know how I created a silly theme song for Princess So Fabulous? Well, my Mom has one too and I’m gonna call her in a little while and sing it to her - loud & off-key. **

The other day as I was bumbling around in the house, I caught a news story about a photojournalist who was traveling the country working with homeless children. They were provided with disposable cameras and asked to go out and take pictures of the things they dream about…what they hope for, what they want to be, whatever speaks to them.

There were pictures of homes of course. But not huge, sprawling mansions. We’re talking simple homes, what used to be considered “starter homes” some years ago. Clothing – again, not designer labels but just clean clothes, ordinary clothes – clothes that would belong to them. There were other things like the little girl who took a picture of a teddy bear. Everyone thought it was because she wanted her own teddy bear, her own toys but the little girl said she wanted to work to save animals. And the young boy who took a picture of Lincoln’s statue because he said he wanted justice. It was a very touching segment, much too short but very touching nonetheless.

I was talking to someone recently about dreaming and this program came to mind. As much as I enjoyed the program, it left me sad in some ways. No child born in this country should have to dream of something as “ordinary” as a home with running water, with glass in the windows. No child should have to dream of eating regular meals – even if it’s fast food. Or of having clothes that fit, that are cleaned. They should be dreaming of becoming president, of starring on Broadway, of finding the cure for some disease, of being a fireman, a police officer, a nurse, a dancer.

This program reminded me how important it is to encourage others to dream. To dream big, in bright colors and then to seek those dreams out, to build them. It reminded me how important it is to be careful when handling someone else’s dream. In some cases, that’s all people have – their dreams. Not necessarily to become more fired up by someone else’s dream than they are but certainly to encourage them, to support them, to be their cheering section. I know that you have to be careful about those who you share your dreams with. People who don’t have enough strength or desire to create their own dream may not treat your dream with respect.

Sometimes we’re so busy trying to live, to make ends meet, to get through the day that we forget about dreaming. We forget to stretch ourselves, to hope for something bigger than we can see. We forget to give the little kid inside us a huge box of crayons, a smorgasbord of paints and let them color the mural of our imagination with the dream that lives inside our hearts, inside our spirits.

Today, I’m gonna spend a little time dreaming a dream. Just let my imagination take me wherever it wants to go. Just turn the canvas of my life into my personal dreamscape, even if only for a few minutes. Let myself get lost in the dreams that live inside my heart, let myself connect with the dreams that make my soul sing. Remind myself that as long as I’m breathing, it’s not too late to build a dream…or to simply dream a new dream.

Here’s to dreams and the reality of them in our lives. Dream a little dream!