Simple Sundays | Fog

My mind crossed the murky threshold between lucidity and fleeting dreamlike trance, and I desperately tried to remember the source of my tears as I felt the soft pillow that cradled my head and the warm blanket that was not mine. The realization that I was not home became clear, and I thought of the father and son in my dreams and wondered where they came from.

As I settled back and coaxed myself to sleep, I wanted to return to that dream, that classroom, where parents and children sat in a circle. The little ones swelled with the pride that comes when mommies and daddies pay a visit to their world. Surrounded by construction papered walls and sitting on pint sized chairs, the teacher smiled and told the father that it was his turn to read his son’s story.

There was a hesitation as he turned the first page, bound by string. On top, there was a picture, and below, sentences, carved in crayon. I can’t remember the story. But I remembered the father as he read each line, page after page. He stammered. He faltered. He sounded out the words his son had scribbled on each page. Simple words, like “ball” and “house.” You see, the father had just learned to read a few months ago.

My heart swelled as I witnessed this moment between father and son with pride, and yes, even with a little sorrow, but mostly, happiness. I may not be able to tell you the boy’s story, but it does not matter. He wrote it for his dad…it was meant for him. And now, he could read it.

I cried for joy. And as a sob escaped from the back of my throat…I woke up.

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I’m not sure what this dream means, and why I feel compelled to share it with you. But when you experience such emotion, sometimes it is better to share.

I have been at Altitude Summit for the last four days, a conference that brings together the worlds of creatives, blogs, and brands, and I do plan on sharing more with you. I left Salt Lake City cloaked in fog, and I need to process my experience for a little while. For today’s Simple Sunday, I just wanted to tell you this story, and I hope that is okay.