Maybe, Just Maybe You Can Trust Your Dreams

November 2, 2011, by Beth Collins

Have you ever had a moment when you realize how all the pieces of a puzzle fit together?  I mean that moment after endless attempts at trying to fit each piece together, you finally see the whole puzzle come together.  I had such a moment on Tuesday at Elizabeth’s House.  It was such a profound thing I just had to share it, because it has changed me in ways I don’t even know yet, but I know it has, and I’m going to allow it - change that is, I’m going to allow the change.  What happened on Tuesday affirmed every thought and belief I have around women in community.  Maybe it affirmed me as a woman.  Maybe it affirmed that a woman who supports everyone else’s dreams in every imaginable way can trust her own.  Yes, that’s it.  I can trust my dreams. 

This particular dream of Elizabeth’s House has been held in my heart for a very long time.  It has been persistent and has always seemed really important.  It was and is, and for the last four years I have been collecting the pieces of this puzzle; a building, spiritual tools, women who understood the mission and would support me personally and professionally, and finally – the women Elizabeth’s House would serve. 

On Tuesday, 11/1/11, they came.  It started at 9:00 am with the women in the current Vision Incubator.   It was to be their eighth and final week together.  Over those eight weeks these women, like other incubator groups, have bonded in powerful ways.  As a closing ceremony the group shared an indoor labyrinth walk.  The labyrinth was borrowed from longtime supporter and friend Linda Schlachter, who was also the very first person to purchase an Elizabeth’s House membership.  The very first person to say yes, this is a good idea, “one membership, please”…  Thank you Linda.  I put the music of another EH member, Michele Addino-Colchin, into the cd player.  If you haven’t heard the beautiful healing voice of Michele, look her up at http://www.visionsong.org/.  There is no better music for a labyrinth walk than Michele’s. 

At 10:00 am an EH member arrived with a new guest.  An hour early for You Time, they settled in the kitchen to enjoy conversation while the Incubator group finished up.  By the time You Time began, other women had arrived to share a labyrinth experience.  At noon, a handful of women from a prior Incubator group had gathered to explore a shared vision of their own.  I’m not exactly sure what they are aspiring to create, but I assure you it is going to be something powerful. 

Then, all the women in Elizabeth’s House gathered in the main room and decided to walk the labyrinth together.  One after one they began their journey, while those who had walked earlier stood at the perimeter, holding them up in prayer, and holding the sacred space for possibilities.  And that’s when I understood that my dream had come true.  All the pieces of the puzzle appeared in an instant.  It was joy, grace, God. 

To the most important piece of the puzzle – the women, I want to say Thank you.  Thank you for being part of a dream.  Thank you specifically for being part of my dream.  You move me, inspire me, and affirm me.  Keep going, keep moving forward, and most of all keep dreaming.

In gratitude,

Beth Collins