I was 13 years-old, living in New Jersey and had gone through an abuse outside of my home that I told no one about for threat of my life.
At the time, there was a high school group at my Catholic church that, while they didn’t know my situation, were very loving and kind and spoke spiritually comforting words about God which helped me to feel less alone during a pretty painful time.
They also introduced me to music that touched me deeply and being a musician, great songs were my love language.
One of my favorite artists was Keith Green. Skeptic turned spiritual and a really thoughtful, fun communicator of music and sacred thoughts in a deep and really playful way.
I’d never heard anyone like him! I was bonded to this man through music, listening to him day and night on my cassette player. “One day,” I said, “I will be friends with Keith Green.”
But, unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to happen because later that year, he died in a private plane accident.
After many tears and heartache my soul rallied and I declared, “One day, I will meet his wife and we will be friends.”
Fast forward 20 years, I was singing at an event in Los Angeles with close to 1000 people. After my presentation and all the applause, I went into the hotel lobby to take deep breaths. This stranger with a pronounced nose and big smile walked up to me and hugged me. “You’re Jewish aren’t you?” I smiled at the unusual question, “Well, actually I’m Italian…. And I’m kind of a Jewish wanna-be.” She backed out of the hug, grabbed my shoulders and said, “Well, you can be Jewish and Italian.” We both smiled. She squeezed my shoulders even tighter, “The Holy Spirit is on FIRE in you.” I met her intense gaze with an unspoken, “Thank you.” and pulled out of the embrace a little to extend my hand, “I’m Stacey Robbins. It’s nice to meet you! And you are…” She reached out her hand to mind and it felt like electric shocks going up my arm, “And I’m Melody Green.”
—-
It was a dream come true.
Meeting Mel. Becoming friends. Being invited to stay with her in Kansas City. Sitting at Keith’s piano and singing while his album covers were on the walls behind me.
It’s wild right?
Do you how many times things like that have happened in my life?
An unbelivable amount. It’s part of why I wrote “An Unconventional Life: Where Messes and Magic Collide”… because I wanted a place to put the remarkable stories down.
Of having a dream one night in Hawaii that I would have a child after the doctors had told me for 13 years that I never would…. But then I did.
Of the Magical, Healing Adventure I took my kids on for 8 months when my dream was to help them heal from bullying issues while we drove all across the US and flew to England and Italy… and they healed.
Of having my marriage restored after having an issue threaten to break the fabric of trust between us… and it was restored.
There are dreams we all have — whether they are money, health, relationship dreams or they are dreams of healing or having an encounter, or traveling to a foreign land.
There’s something in us that has a desire that is fueled by:
Inspiration
And
Vision.
Sometimes it’s the pain of life that inspires us to wake up and feel alive.
Sometimes it’s the joy of life that inspires us to wake up and feel alive.
I’ve definitely had both.
Oy vey…
To be inspired is literally a new breath to our soul. The word “inspired” comes from the Latin root “inspire” (pronounced ‘in-spee-ray’) and it means “to breathe.”
It’s the word we get Spirit from, too.
So cool, right?
When your Spirit is stirred, whether through hearing a song or an empowering message or seeing someone live in a free, extraordinary way… it moves you.
And you want to do something with that inspiration, because inspiration wants to do something with you!
It wants to get you back to your truest self where that inspiration resonates all the time. Where your Spirit feels awake and connected to who you are again.
You know what happens in the space of that inspiration? You start having a vision:
I want to be at my goal weight.
I want to be with people who love and value me.
I want to learn that foreign language.
I want to write that book
Record that CD
Paint that picture
Dance that dance
Travel to that land
Build that home
Create that recipe
Know those people
Send money to that organization
Join the Peace Corp
Feed the hungry
Help end homelessness…
The list goes on and on with the variety of visions that come to us when we’re inspired.
The vision is the sight — the goal — that is set before us.
It comes when we feel the inspiration within us.
When my kids went through the bullying thing, the pain inspired me to ask important questions about what I wanted for my boys. In that space, I dreamed about taking them on a cross-country trip and to Europe to heal.
But sometimes, I would lose my vision.
So, when the pain of their pain was too much to keep my vision during all the packing and planning of our trip and meltdowns, PTSD, and attitudes, and I would go upstairs and lie on my bed, with my head where my feet normally go since I knew I needed to see life differently — not kidding…
And I’d look up at the ceiling for a second, then close my eyes and picture my family walking the streets of Florence with me, happy and healed and eating gelato.
I did that almost every freakin’ time I lost my vision.
I’d get out of the haze and up into my room. Put my head where my feet belonged, take a deep, deep, deep breath and remember what I wanted (their healing) and why (because they are freakin’ amazing humans who COULD be restored to that truth) and how (by going to Italy and being happy and eating lots of Italian ice cream together).
Which we did (get happy and healed)
And which we did (eat copious amounts of gelato walking through the streets of Florence).
It truly was our Magical, Healing Adventure.
But guess what? Inspiration and Vision, while being HUGELY important, are not enough. They are the important foundation, but you can’t live in a foundation. You have to build upon it.
Do you want to know more about that? Because I’m sure you’re like, “Well, I’ve had some dreams happen, but not others. What’s that about?”
We’re going to talk about one main ingredient that is super necessary in all of this recipe.
So, stay tuned for next week when we talk about what it takes to make a vision a reality and why, when this is lacking or misguided, our dreams don’t have the same opportunity to come true.
Sound good?
I absolutely adore you, friends, and would love to hear from you soooooon…..
What are you dreaming? What dream is calling to you?
Let me know and I will hold that space with you.
Until next time…
Sending big love,
Stacey, What a beautiful writing and knowing you, I know that you live this truth of dreams coming true. Thank you for sharing this important teaching with all of us!