Nurture Your Dreams With God's Love
Dream every day!
“Cherish your visions and dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” This quote is from Napoleon Hill, one of America’s greatest writers on success. Much like our children, our dreams must be nurtured with love. But real achievement takes place only when we allow God’s vision of success into our hearts. That is how dreams become realities. The key to success is in asking God for His guidance!
In 2005, our family experienced a life-changing event. Our youngest son, Patrick, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident. There were moments of despair while waiting for information in the trauma unit at University of Louisville Hospital. The news from doctors and nurses was difficult to process, and their efforts brought us very little comfort.
We asked for a Catholic priest, and Fr. Chuck from Holy Trinity Parish came to anoint Patrick. The blessing of prayer and the presence of this priest brought peace and the beginning of a miraculous recovery. Six years later, on June 29, 2011, I attended the Episcopal Ordination of the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Evansville. I realized then that Fr. Chuck was now Bishop Charles Thompson. The Holy Spirit provides amazing comfort in ways that we may never understand, but our faith reminds us … this power is real!
Trust and obedience played an enormous role in the happy ending to this story. You must be confident in your physician when a loved one is suffering because you are at the mercy of their medical expertise. When you believe that God is the true Physician and ask for His Divine intervention, real healing takes place. As Patrick’s parents, trusting God and seeking comfort from the blessing of a priest revealed the beginning of the healing process. Bishop Thompson’s obedience in his priestly ministry made a significant difference for our family on that difficult day.
How often do you thank God for the gift of priesthood and the sacraments administered by the power of the Holy Spirit through ordained hands? As I thank God every day for the return of our healthy son, I have also prayed for a way to return this great blessing. Looking back over the nine years since that tragic time in our lives, I realize that with God, there are no mishaps. Seeking His guidance and persisting in prayer, I believe God will always provide an opportunity for us to return His love. Although He can never be outdone in generosity, I believe he has shown us a way to try!
For years, our retirement dream has been to build a place on a small lake where people can come to relax and enjoy our hospitality. That fateful day in 2005 made us realize how important a Catholic priest is in times of joy and sorrow. This realization has inspired us to offer our place of respite to seminarians and priests for everything they do to strengthen the Body of Christ.
It took many months of searching, but God has led us to the perfect place – and I know this is true because it is located 20 minutes from our grandchildren. We hope to relocate in July, as we celebrate retirement, and prepare a place of hospitality and rest in Morgantown, Ind. And Jesus said, ”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you, keep on seeking and you will find.”
I will share more in the weeks to come about how our dream became a reality. As you dream every day, remember to praise God from whom all blessings flow! Amen!
