A Nightmarish Illness

By Mary Jedlicka Humston © 2012

Rising from bed, I shuffled toward the bathroom, my eyes quickly adjusting to the comforting darkness of our bedroom; my hands spidering out, touching a dresser, a chair, a wall. 

Suddenly, a heavy shape knocked me to the floor. I lay in a crumpled heap while powerful hands pummeled me; a soundless scream echoing nowhere. I tried to escape, but the thing pinned me down. My strength slipped away like a wounded animal after a lost battle. 

In that crushing surrender, I awoke. Yet again, I’d fallen prey to that nightmare. Soothed by my husband’s warm, solid presence, I snuggled up to him and calmed my heart and ragged breathing. Eventually, I fell asleep, the lingering images scattering.

In the placid light of day, I tried to discern what this nightmare meant. No matter how hard I pondered, it remained a mystery. I dreaded the middle of the night.

One day the answer appeared with the same quickness and surprise as the nighttime attacker. The culprit,

Kick Start Your Dreams

Three Super-Simple Kick Start Living Your Dreams – in the next 15 minutes
By Kathi Lipp

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started?

You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1. Go Public with It
It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen.

When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen.

2. Join an Online Group
This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.” You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray
I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray.

I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected, but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. See: www.kathilipp.com