These next few paragraphs explain a new book I read called “The Dream Giver.” I share a bit about the book and then some interesting facts I found out about myself after being a part of this journey to the Land of the Familiar.
Has someone ever recommended a book to you and you really weren’t sure if you would want to read it, but you agreed to do so anyway?
I usually read mystery and romance books, and some of my favorite authors are Mary Higgins Clark, Miranda James, Dorothy Howell, and Dorothy Gilman. These books connect with the born detective in me. No, however, I do not work as a detective for a living; I always notice the differences in things and if something is not quite right or if someone is not quite right. I find detective work fascinating. Perhaps, I also like to get away from reality and into someone else’s drama. I really don’t know what makes these kinds of books appeal to me. I know when I pick one up I can’t put it down. I keep reading and reading while the clock hands keep moving. it’s so crazy
Recently my library has been expanded with the addition of more than just a mystery. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or if it would hold my interest. Boy was I wrong. This book I’m talking about is so powerful yet simple that it’s easy to connect with. The story is compelling at the same time. The characters in the book do not have names, making it a book unlike any other I have read.
The book I was recommended to review was called “The Dream Giver” by Bruce Wilkinson. I had never heard of it before it was introduced to me and even jotted down the name and author so I would remember to look it up in the library. My local library didn’t have it, so I reserved it. This should tell you how eager I was to read it. No. I thought that when it wasn’t immediately available, it wasn’t meant for me to read it. It never occurred to me that maybe it was so popular that I was on the waiting list to get it. Perspective is everything and my point of view was wrong. I admitted it
You didn’t read this to hear all the drama surrounding getting the book in the first place, but something about the book. He was involved before reading the book. I opened the cover, inside, next to the chapters, there was a note that said: The book was for anyone who ever hoped they could achieve something with their life. Have you ever opened a book and seen a dedication to someone? I also have. Now, have you ever opened a book and the dedication was for you? Never in all my years of reading books have I seen this. I was impressed and wanted to read more.
The Dream Giver interacts with the reader. The beginning asks the reader a question, a question to me. I felt like I was actually talking to someone in front of me. The question was “Do you think every person on earth was born with a dream for their life?” I was like, what? I usually read books to entertain myself and to find out who the murderer is. Remember that I read mystery books. This was too much, this book was asking me questions and I found myself speaking out loud answering them. OMG.
I followed the journey of Ordinary, a Nobody, who lived in a place called Familiar. OK, he has a name; he is not a name like you and I have but he is a name nonetheless. Ordinary did the same thing day after day, like any other Nobody. He woke up, went to his usual job, came home, and started the day all over again. He had thoughts of something bigger and would have the feeling that something was missing in his life. The thought would pass and he would continue to do what was expected of him. One day he found a feather on his windowsill. He believed that he had come from the Dream Giver. He wasn’t the first Nobody to come up with this. No, there were others before him; he simply never imagined that it could happen to him. He was afraid to tell anyone in Familiar about this dream of his and that he found this feather that the Dream Giver had given him. Day by day, Ordinario kept thinking about his big dream, it was all he could think about. He was getting restless at work and he realized that he would never be happy unless he could pursue this dream of his. The Dream Giver gave him a chance to make a change and he wanted desperately to follow through.
I keep reading because now I am interested in what is that great dream that Ordinary has. Somewhere I am still in mystery mode and this has sparked my curiosity. I keep reading and find myself feeling the same way Ordinary feels. When he is sad I am sad, when he is scared and insecure I am scared and insecure. This had never happened to me while reading. wow.
Ordinary tells his father about the pen and how he really isn’t sure what to do. However, his father tells him that once he too was visited by the Dream Giver; he was too scared to turn away from Familiar in search of the Big Dream of him. He tells her to do it. Ordinary, with the tranquility of his father, leaves his comfort zone, the Land of the Familiar. As he gets further and further away from Familiar, he questions himself more and more and becomes afraid. He wonders if he can do this or if the dream is too big for him. Along the journey, he encounters friends and family who let his fears for him disrupt his vision of the future and he doubts himself even more. Every time he looks at the pen for comfort and remembers what his father told him.
The reason this book resonated with me is that I find myself in Ordinary’s shoes, if he had any. I’m looking for a vision that I think I’ve had all along. I’m still chasing him at the age of 40. There were times while reading this book that I thought I had no way to get my vision, but as I read more about Ordinary I realized that until I don’t have a heartbeat anymore I still have that vision and it can still be brought to life. life.
Many people will be obstacles standing between you and your vision. Some may be family or friends. It’s not that they don’t believe in you, it’s that they don’t want to lose what you have with them. Therefore, they are not ready to follow their dream; your big dreams are more than they can handle. Maybe they don’t want to see you fall either. Little do they know that when you follow that big dream, nothing and I mean nothing big or small will stop you from achieving it? The only obstacle is YOU.
Ordinary finally achieved his Big Dream with the help of the Dream Giver. He found that believing in his dream and in the Dream Giver kept him focused and kept the vision of him in his head. The word NO does not exist when we are really motivated. It is NOT replaced by “find another way”, and you will. Ordinary used his truth and intelligence to outthink everyone who got in his way. He often wondered what to do for more than a day, in the end he decided to continue following what the Giver of Dreams had given him, a DREAM.
