Dreaming of Home

Then I considered all that...hands had done
and the toil...spent in doing it,
 all was vanity and a chasing after wind,
and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
~ Eccl. 2:11 ~

Yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning, I dreamed that my husband and I were looking for an apartment complex, looking for a home where we belonged.

Photo by
Matthew Wynne

We began near many large, elegant looking buildings where sports cars gleamed and jewels were strewn about well-manicured lawns.  Gardeners baked in the sun.  Maids wilted on front porches.  Striving, oppression and emptiness were there.

We drove to the darker side of town.  Oil can fires burned bright.  Dogs barked and fought.  Distant sounds children wailing echoed off the barren walls.  Striving, oppression and emptiness were there.

The road curved.  Nearing a forested area with deer peacefully enjoying their bits of grass, we came to a stop by a little apartment housing made of dark, well-weathered cherry-wood.  The keys were drawn from the ignition and our feet reached for the bark chips on the ground.  Hand reached for hand.  There we stood, taking in the serenity around us.  We breathed in deeply and walked towards the buildings for a closer look.

Clothes were draped everywhere.  On balconies, on the rooftops, on the tree branches they were strewn.  Vibrant colors greeted and surrounded us as we drew towards the center of the complex: viridian, cobalt, crimson and honey.

A woman poked her head through a nearby doorway.  In an instant she was by our sides.  An inquiry about the nature of the place brought a flood of emotion and joyful storytelling.  She embodied the story.  As we made our way through what we now knew was a communal village, our breathing grew deeper.  Muscles relaxed.  Tension on my face washed away.  Fullness is here.  Life is here.

Photo by
Trista Wynne

Everything here
is for everyone’s use. 
Nothing is held back.
No one who gives
ever has any need. 
All are welcome.

Turning towards my husband, I saw his eyes begin to dance.  His features shifted to reveal the Christ.  The woman in the flowing red robes transformed into a dove before my very eyes.  As she circled above our heads, a flame appeared in her wake.  The sky became a radiant light and the woods were filled with cascades of rainbow beams flowing from the transformed sky.

Surely I was home.