I had a wonderful dream last night. It was one of those powerful dreams that come when you are half-way between waking and sleeping. It was also one of those special dreams that stick in your mind and stay in your heart.
In the dream I was just a boy again walking through the woods near my Grandma’s home where we all lived together. I came out near one of our big gardens and saw my dad with two, large water buckets watering the plants. I asked him if I could help and he smiled and handed me one of the buckets. It was full of water but light as a feather. The water inside was so crystal clear that it glowed in the sunshine. I immediately started watering the field of wilted plants. The work that I had always hated seemed a joy to me this time. The bucket stayed full, too, no matter how much I poured. I laughed and smiled as I watered each plant. Some plants sprung back to life with the first drop and seemed to grow a foot almost instantly. Others needed a lot of water and barely grew an inch. Still other plants seemed to shake off the water and stay wilted no matter how much I poured. After a long time watering I looked up and was saddened by what I saw. The garden had grown so big. It seemed to stretch on forever in every direction. I looked over at my dad in despair and told him that there was no way I could ever water all of it. My Dad just smiled back and said not to worry because there were plenty of Children to help. When I looked back I saw that He was right. Over the endless garden there were thousands of boys and girls with buckets each pouring the life giving water on the thirsty plants.
I woke up after that, but I didn’t need Sigmund Freud to tell me what this dream meant. God was just reminding me to keep pouring out His love and light to this thirsty world. It is a lifetime’s work, but there are plenty of us with light hearts and full buckets ready to do it.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Joseph J. Mazzella
