Giving Thanks for Impossibly Possible Dreams

Giving thanks for all those who offer support to those who dream impossible dreams.

Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash

Today I pause to be thankful for all who have supported me on my impossibly impossible triumph of the human spirit. On Thanksgiving Day fifty-three years ago, I had no idea my life would turn upside down the following day. I also had no idea that my impossible dream could come true.

I have no memory of that Thanksgiving meal but I do know what my father’s prayer would have been because it was always the same. I imagine it comforted me.

Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I also imagine there were conversations. My dad would have wanted to know about my life as a college freshman. He would have been interested in what I was learning and the new friends I was making. The meal would have been delicious because my mother was a remarkable cook, but the conversation with my dad would have been what made the meal enjoyable.

Still today, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is not the food—though I do love the food—it is the conversations. The next two days will be rich with conversations but there have been lonely Thanksgivings in my life. I am aware that many will not be so blessed today. For some, those conversations will be on Zoom or social media. May we listen to one another today and find a way to support them.

Inherent in giving thanks is the realization that all could be lost in an instant. I know this truth, as do many others. What I find remarkable is that when my world turned upside down, my seventeen-year-old self continued to believe she could make a difference in the world. This has always been my dream.

What is a dream if not impossible? What is hope if not audacious?

The remarkable thing about the human spirit is that many of us who have lost greatly continue to dream and hope—even if it is just a tiny glimmer of hope. I sit with those who struggle today hoping that some small sliver of hope will help them continue to dream—no matter how large or small that dream might be.

Ten years ago, I believed that I had lived a good life and done all the good that I could possibly do. My younger dream that I could make a difference in the world—beyond my very small world—seemed impossibly impossible. Yet, here I am living the dream that I dared to dream. I am grateful to every family member, friend, follower, subscriber, reader, or listener of my words for helping that completely audacious teenager in me make her impossible dream come true.

I am thankful for all of you today!

In conclusion to these meandering thoughts, last night while listening to an episode of The Voice, one of the contestants sang the song, The Impossible Dream. The song arrived in the world during my teen years and I am aware of connecting deeply with it as a young adult. As Jeremy Beloate began to sing, I realized that I had truly “run where the brave dare not go.” (I could include every line—find lyrics here)

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
And to run where the brave dare not go

Today I am thankful for my remarkable seventeen-year-old self and all those who believed in my impossible dream right along with me and said, “It is a possible impossibility!” I would not be here without that support.

Once again, I feel like I have done all the good I can do, but I am audacious enough to consider that there could be more to the dream. Today, I am thankful for how far I have come and for all those I have met along the way.