āØa message of joyāØ (maybe?)
Iāve spent most of my life not overly concerned about dreams I have while asleep. Iāve always considered dreams to be a filing system for my brain that may or may not make sense. The dream version, and how my brain downloads and processes the day, takes some strange form of things that have happened or the things I might be worried about. Iām sure someone smarter than me can explain why are brains process things in such a weird way, but itās pretty amazing nonetheless. (I mean, this morning I dreamt that my dog - but not the dog I know and love? - peed backwards instead of down and how she would basically firehose-pee on anyone in the vicinity. What the hell is that??!)
There are obviously some exceptions to the āfiling systemā dreams and sometimes the dreams are downright cuckoo. (Hello to the dream about the most unlikely family member being a serial killer, as an example.) But most of the time, I wake up with my dreams *just* out of reach of remembering - or at least not remembering fully.
At least up until recently.
Iāve had some wild dreams the past year and half. But itās the past few months that have me puzzled at what (or how) my brain is processing. Almost every night (and Iām not exaggerating) I dream some form of searching or solving kind of dream. I donāt always remember the details when I wake up, but I always remember the searching or solving aspect to it - usually within different rooms or places in a location. I never know what or who it is Iām searching for or what Iām solving, I just know that I am. And after many (MANY) versions of this dream (my favorite/most baffling was the wild-good-chase-search on a floating airplane hanger with a bunch of students) I have yet to solve or find anything. Itās a strange feelingā¦and itās a little frustrating.
I donāt even know why Iām sharing this here except I find it incredibly interesting. One explanation Iāve seen with these types of dreams mentions ādissension and disagreementsā in our life and, well, doesnāt that just explain the very world we live in? As a group AND as individuals, we are constantly navigating the chaos and anger around us - or within us. And maybe these dreams are somehow trying to process all of it while also looking to the answers of joy and hope and how to help others in the process. (Or maybe my little peacemaker heart is reading way too much into it.)
So that leads us to here and now, I guess. Not that Iām implying that one newsletter is the answer. (Far from it.) But I guess if it is one very, very small way to point us all to joy and hope and gratitudeā¦and maybe peace? Maybe thatās a tiny step in the right direction?
I hope so.
And, in case youāre wondering, the lates version of the dream took place in a swanky strip mall, where a wedding was being held, and, yes, it featured the dog who ābackfire peesā on everyone around them.
Classic.
āØseeking joyāØ
What I am watching, reading and listening to
šŗ Watching: I donāt know if ALL of Stranger Things brings me joy but a LOT of it does. The nostalgia, the kidsā¦even the ridiculous parts of the story. (Which is probably very on brand for me.) The last installment of the fourth season came out last week and we finished watching this past weekend. I kinda loved it, guys. Shout out to Eddie and his excellent rendition of Master of Puppets. Nostalgic perfection.
š Reading: This isnāt a book I would typically go for, but a friend gave me The Story of With to read and I dug in. Itās more of a God focused story of creating (or being a creative) but I enjoyed the thought provoking aspects of the story - and how it was told to illustrate the ideas and points the author was trying to make. There are some cheesy moments, but the overall message was a great read and I loved it.
š§ Listening: Iāve watched a few different movies (or shows) these past few weeks that have reminded me of my love of alt rock or hard rock. So itās no surprise that the song of the week would bring us back to Metallica and Master of Puppets and Iām just gonna leave us with that.
āØjoy from the internetāØ
š¶ Puppies becoming friends š.
š All you need is LOVE.
šµ Hard truths:
ā½ļø Other hard truths:
š Steveās World is what we need:
āØ moments of joy āØ
things I donāt want to forget
Iāve always loved the trails near usā¦but I think Iām just feeling extra grateful for them these past few weeks after being away this past year. (I would previously stick to the gym bike or closer to home because of my knee.) Hooray for busted knees getting better. Hooray for trails that I love.
āØ ridiculous joy āØ
the icymi on IG kind of joy
š„ This weekās TMSG - Whatās stealing your joy? Are we aware of the things that keep us from joy??
āØ a joyful heart āØ
Just a few things that caught my heart or my faith this week.
š For when you need to battle in prayer:
š The courage of perseverance:
š We are built for community
our daily prayer for the weekā¦
Our Father
Lord, we are bound to You by grace, grafted into Your kingdom by love. Since the beginning of time You have found ways to be present with us, Your children. Teach us to embody Your loving presence in all the we do this day. Amen.
Love you allā¦have an amazing rest of your week!!
ā¤ļø Jill
p.s. I thought today was Wednesday. So. Happy Thursday from my Wednesday newsletter thanks to a Monday holiday lol.