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When Dreams turn to Reality!
There are those memorable holiday stories that get told each year. Some because they are funny. Some because they are ridiculous. Some because they are loving. Some because they involve people from the past that we miss, and so reminiscing feels good. Telling stories makes us feel good. It is entertaining. They make us relate to one another and can have the power to lighten our load. And some are remember because of the message tucked within, and are told over and over again…like this one…
I believe one of the reasons my children were given to me is so they could teach me valuable lessons. You would think it is the other way around, and I am sure I have taught them a thing or two. But parenting is a work in progress, and in my case, the progress has been in me.
If you have children you know what I’m talking about. They say or do things sometimes that are works of art woven into tiny moments together. One such moment happened many Christmas’ ago when Teddy, our oldest son, was about 6 years old. That moment came at an unlikely time, as most do, when we were going about our daily activities and I could have missed it. But this was one of those moments when I heard that quiet voice inside me say, “Pay attention to this”.
I had held Teddy out of school for the morning, while we went for his dental check-up. I had always enjoyed my one-on-one time with the kids and this morning was no exception. Teddy and I were happily chattering while I drove him back to school after the appointment.
As I parked the car to let Teddy out, he reached into my purse to get something. I don’t remember what he was looking for, but what he found gave me a new perspective on the difference between dreams and reality...
As was tradition, a couple weeks before Christmas each year the kids would sit at the kitchen table looking through the Christmas catalogs searching for pictures of the toys they longed for Santa to bring. As they found each toy, they would cut the picture out and put it in an envelope with their name marked on the outside. We’d then make the trek downtown to see Santa and give him each child’s envelope of Christmas wishes.
Unknown to the kids, after we walked away from Santa, my husband would distract them while I went back for the envelopes. Getting the envelopes back was important because we needed them in order to buy the Christmas gifts the kids wanted from “Santa”.
That morning after the dentist appointment, while sitting in my car; when Teddy’s little hand went into my purse he emerged with the Santa envelopes. Oh no…!! I had forgotten to take them out after our Santa visit the previous weekend.
I immediately started to panic! How was I going to get out of this one…?! And I began racking my brain for excuses for having them.
I wasn’t ready for Teddy to know the truth about Santa. We always had so much fun with the kids playing up Santa, and the reindeer, and the midnight visit when Santa ate the cookies and milk. Teddy was still so young. I did not want to move beyond that phase of life and the magic and mystery behind the legend of Santa, and the warm feelings that come from the tradition! What was I going to do?
As Teddy pulled the envelopes out of my purse, his face had a look of pure shock!( Oh if I could have turned the clock back just a few seconds… )
During the short silence that followed I could see Teddy was thinking this through. Then he finally asked in a very concerned tone, “Mommy, why do you have our Santa envelopes in your purse?”
There was another silence while I fished for something to say. I wanted to make up a story because I knew if I told the truth that would be the end of my little boys Santa dreams. I wasn’t ready for the magic to disappear.
So, I decided to do a work-around…
“Oh, I got them from Santa after you kids walked away,” I said, “so Dad and I would know what we should get. You know we always get you kids a gift or two as well.”
Teddy looked at me clearly puzzled, not believing a word I had just said.
He wasn't letting me off the hook so easily, and said, “but Mommy, if you have the envelopes, how will Santa know what to get us?”
I looked into Teddy’s sweet innocent face and at that moment I knew I had to be truthful. If I continued to fabricate a justification for the envelopes in my purse it would be going too far. The time had come. In the past our playful Santa routine was just accepted by the kids. But when being questioned specifically I had to come clean. The dream would have to change to reality.
So, a looked into Teddy’s little eyes and tenderly said, “well Teddy, Mommy and Daddy are really Santa.”
I then waited with a sinking feeling in my stomach for his response. I had dropped the reality bomb.
I watched as the wheels were spinning in Teddy’s head and after a couple seconds he went on…
“Well, what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy?”
(Darn it, he had put those together with Santa, just as I suspected.)
My heart sunk as I said, “Yes Teddy, Mommy and Daddy are the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy too.”
At that, Teddy started to cry and I knew my worst fears in that moment had become a reality. I was filled with sadness and disappointment that Teddy’s dreams had been dashed. You always hope to squeak out one more year of the Santa routine. I feared that the magic of Christmas, and Easter, and all other whimsical imagery for holidays we had pretended would be gone from Teddy forever. The dream would die.
More importantly, in that moment I thought, “oh no…what will Teddy think about God? We had told him Jesus was real too!. How could I explain that Santa wasn’t real but God was?
There in my car in the school parking lot, Teddy continued to cry. I cried inside too.
After a couple minutes I attempted to console him, “Don’t cry sweetheart. I am sorry, I know you’re disappointed.”
Then Teddy said something I will never forget...
He looked at me with his eyes full of tears and said, “Mommy, I’m not disappointed, I just can’t believe that you and Dad would do all of that for us kids.”
What?! I had completely misread the situation. Teddy wasn’t crying because he was sad that his dreams of Santa were over. He was crying out of thankfulness. His heart was not broken, he was crying out of love for his parents and their graciousness. His world did not turn upside down because of this new revelation, it was confirmed. Teddy was thankful and in awe.
Within a few minutes Teddy wiped his eyes, kissed me goodbye and hopped out of the car. The truth seemed to be refreshing to him. His steps were light as he skipped away. And he never once asked if God was real. That hadn’t even been a thought.
I have contemplated this precious moment over the years and the lesson is this; that dreams don’t have to go away because of some new revelation or circumstance, they just change a little in perspective.
That Christmas Teddy had just as much fun as the years prior, only that year he was in on the secret with us as his little brother and sister still believed in Santa. Teddy was even more thankful that year than ever before for the toys and gifts “Santa” brought knowing his parents worked hard to provide them. He had gained a new respect for us.
It also confirmed to me that belief in God is real. It is lasting and true. Although Teddy immediately connected the dots from Santa to the Easter Bunny and so on, Teddy never question if God was real.
The Bible says God’s laws, His footprint, is imprinted on our hearts. This imprint causes us to long for Him, to want to be in relationship with Him, and to know that He is real. God reveals Himself to people’s hearts and minds. He is real, He is true. He is always present. God is constant and faithful working in and through our lives.
God taught me a great truth that day through the innocence of my little boy. God makes our dreams become reality. And His reality and truth are the things that dreams are made of.
I believe one of the reasons my children were given to me is so they could teach me valuable lessons. You would think it is the other way around, and I am sure I have taught them a thing or two. But parenting is a work in progress, and in my case, the progress has been in me.
If you have children you know what I’m talking about. They say or do things sometimes that are works of art woven into tiny moments together. One such moment happened many Christmas’ ago when Teddy, our oldest son, was about 6 years old. That moment came at an unlikely time, as most do, when we were going about our daily activities and I could have missed it. But this was one of those moments when I heard that quiet voice inside me say, “Pay attention to this”.
I had held Teddy out of school for the morning, while we went for his dental check-up. I had always enjoyed my one-on-one time with the kids and this morning was no exception. Teddy and I were happily chattering while I drove him back to school after the appointment.
As I parked the car to let Teddy out, he reached into my purse to get something. I don’t remember what he was looking for, but what he found gave me a new perspective on the difference between dreams and reality...
As was tradition, a couple weeks before Christmas each year the kids would sit at the kitchen table looking through the Christmas catalogs searching for pictures of the toys they longed for Santa to bring. As they found each toy, they would cut the picture out and put it in an envelope with their name marked on the outside. We’d then make the trek downtown to see Santa and give him each child’s envelope of Christmas wishes.
Unknown to the kids, after we walked away from Santa, my husband would distract them while I went back for the envelopes. Getting the envelopes back was important because we needed them in order to buy the Christmas gifts the kids wanted from “Santa”.
That morning after the dentist appointment, while sitting in my car; when Teddy’s little hand went into my purse he emerged with the Santa envelopes. Oh no…!! I had forgotten to take them out after our Santa visit the previous weekend.
I immediately started to panic! How was I going to get out of this one…?! And I began racking my brain for excuses for having them.
I wasn’t ready for Teddy to know the truth about Santa. We always had so much fun with the kids playing up Santa, and the reindeer, and the midnight visit when Santa ate the cookies and milk. Teddy was still so young. I did not want to move beyond that phase of life and the magic and mystery behind the legend of Santa, and the warm feelings that come from the tradition! What was I going to do?
As Teddy pulled the envelopes out of my purse, his face had a look of pure shock!( Oh if I could have turned the clock back just a few seconds… )
During the short silence that followed I could see Teddy was thinking this through. Then he finally asked in a very concerned tone, “Mommy, why do you have our Santa envelopes in your purse?”
There was another silence while I fished for something to say. I wanted to make up a story because I knew if I told the truth that would be the end of my little boys Santa dreams. I wasn’t ready for the magic to disappear.
So, I decided to do a work-around…
“Oh, I got them from Santa after you kids walked away,” I said, “so Dad and I would know what we should get. You know we always get you kids a gift or two as well.”
Teddy looked at me clearly puzzled, not believing a word I had just said.
He wasn't letting me off the hook so easily, and said, “but Mommy, if you have the envelopes, how will Santa know what to get us?”
I looked into Teddy’s sweet innocent face and at that moment I knew I had to be truthful. If I continued to fabricate a justification for the envelopes in my purse it would be going too far. The time had come. In the past our playful Santa routine was just accepted by the kids. But when being questioned specifically I had to come clean. The dream would have to change to reality.
So, a looked into Teddy’s little eyes and tenderly said, “well Teddy, Mommy and Daddy are really Santa.”
I then waited with a sinking feeling in my stomach for his response. I had dropped the reality bomb.
I watched as the wheels were spinning in Teddy’s head and after a couple seconds he went on…
“Well, what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy?”
(Darn it, he had put those together with Santa, just as I suspected.)
My heart sunk as I said, “Yes Teddy, Mommy and Daddy are the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy too.”
At that, Teddy started to cry and I knew my worst fears in that moment had become a reality. I was filled with sadness and disappointment that Teddy’s dreams had been dashed. You always hope to squeak out one more year of the Santa routine. I feared that the magic of Christmas, and Easter, and all other whimsical imagery for holidays we had pretended would be gone from Teddy forever. The dream would die.
More importantly, in that moment I thought, “oh no…what will Teddy think about God? We had told him Jesus was real too!. How could I explain that Santa wasn’t real but God was?
There in my car in the school parking lot, Teddy continued to cry. I cried inside too.
After a couple minutes I attempted to console him, “Don’t cry sweetheart. I am sorry, I know you’re disappointed.”
Then Teddy said something I will never forget...
He looked at me with his eyes full of tears and said, “Mommy, I’m not disappointed, I just can’t believe that you and Dad would do all of that for us kids.”
What?! I had completely misread the situation. Teddy wasn’t crying because he was sad that his dreams of Santa were over. He was crying out of thankfulness. His heart was not broken, he was crying out of love for his parents and their graciousness. His world did not turn upside down because of this new revelation, it was confirmed. Teddy was thankful and in awe.
Within a few minutes Teddy wiped his eyes, kissed me goodbye and hopped out of the car. The truth seemed to be refreshing to him. His steps were light as he skipped away. And he never once asked if God was real. That hadn’t even been a thought.
I have contemplated this precious moment over the years and the lesson is this; that dreams don’t have to go away because of some new revelation or circumstance, they just change a little in perspective.
That Christmas Teddy had just as much fun as the years prior, only that year he was in on the secret with us as his little brother and sister still believed in Santa. Teddy was even more thankful that year than ever before for the toys and gifts “Santa” brought knowing his parents worked hard to provide them. He had gained a new respect for us.
It also confirmed to me that belief in God is real. It is lasting and true. Although Teddy immediately connected the dots from Santa to the Easter Bunny and so on, Teddy never question if God was real.
The Bible says God’s laws, His footprint, is imprinted on our hearts. This imprint causes us to long for Him, to want to be in relationship with Him, and to know that He is real. God reveals Himself to people’s hearts and minds. He is real, He is true. He is always present. God is constant and faithful working in and through our lives.
God taught me a great truth that day through the innocence of my little boy. God makes our dreams become reality. And His reality and truth are the things that dreams are made of.
"Said the night wind to the little lamb. Do you hear what I hear?… A child, a child, sleeping in the night. He will bring us goodness and light."