Precious Dream(Shelly Garrod) “Grandma!!” I cry out. “Is that really you?” Are my eyes deceiving me? Can this truly be? Is that beautiful woman my grandma? As I rush to her, she affectionately opens her arms welcoming my embrace. “Oh, grandma I've missed you so much. I've tried to dream of you for the past six years, but the dreams never come. Last night all I did was look at pictures and think of you. I wanted you to me in my dreams so badly it hurt. And now it has happened. We are in a beautiful dream together and I could not be happier.”

“I'm happy too sweetheart. Well honey, it's your dream. What do you want to do?”

“Oh, gramma I want to do everything we did when you were alive. Let's stroll through the woods together. Let's pick raspberries from your hundreds of bushes. I want to sit at your table and enjoy a cup of coffee with you again. Do you remember what your most favorite thing to do was?”

“Yes, I do. Bowling.”

“We can bowl again gramma!”

“Well, my dear, let your dream begin.”

As I willed a lush forest to appear, grandma took me by the hand, and we walked toward the vast woodland that reached out and surrounded us in its beauty. How could I dream such a beautiful forest so full of life and color and warmth? We walked for what seemed like hours and we reminisced about everything good and bad. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and birds followed us along the path seemingly wanting to be near us. Suddenly we walked straight into an immense field of raspberry bushes filled with big juicy raspberries. Two white gallon buckets appeared in each of our hands. Enough to hold all the berries we could possibly pick. We picked and picked, and I ate and ate.

“Grandma?” I asked, “Can you make me a raspberry pie and percolate some of your tasty coffee.”

“Why I sure can.”

Our old farmhouse lies ahead just as I had remembered it from years ago. We stepped up onto the old rickety front porch and into the run down “boot room” as my grandpa used to call it. The scents were so overwhelming they almost took my breath away. Flawless aromas like the smell of my grandpa's aftershave. The old wood burning stove. I can still smell the burning logs. Coffee percolating on the old cooking stove. Freshly baked raspberry pie still steaming from the heat of the oven.

“Here you are darling.” Grandma placed the pie on the table.

“I'll get our coffee gram.”

As we ate our pie and drank our coffee, I couldn't help but stare at my grandma. She was more beautiful than I had imagined. She looked so happy. She wasn't crippled and hunched over like I remembered her. No, she was full in body and spirit and life. Her voice was smooth and not crackling as she spoke. But then of course this is my dream I can make her any way I want. She is my grandma.

After we ate, we walked out on the porch and sat in the old white rocking chairs which had seen better days. As I sat in grandpa's chair with the missing boards in the back my thoughts quickly drifted to fishing in the pond near the farmhouse.

“Grandma, let's go fishing!”

“It's your dream honey. We'll do anything you want. You just have to make it happen.”

Within seconds we were standing on the banks of a trout pond with fishing poles in hand. Laughing as we repeatedly toss our lines in the water.

“Grandma, I got a bite.”

“Bring it in honey like grandpa taught you.”

I reeled in a twenty-seven-inch trout. Between grandma and I we had a total of nine fish. Of course, it's my dream we could have caught a hundred fish.

I wasn't sure how long my dream was going to last so I made the best of it.

“Grandma, let's go bowling now.”

“OK honey. Get us set up. I'm ready.”

In the place where the fishing pond was, now stood a bowling lane surrounded by woods. Bowling balls appeared in our hands. The pins were set up at the end of the lane.

“Grandma, you go first.”

“OK here I go.

Grandma walked up to the line and threw her ball. It slowly rolled down the lane and took down every pin. As she turned around her beautiful face shined brightly with a big soft smile.

“You did it grandma! You did it! You got a strike!” We took turns bowling and bowling, striking and striking. We were having so much fun. I didn't want my dream to end. But I knew I would be waking up soon.

“Grandma there is one more thing I want us to do together.”

“What is it sweetie?”

“Do you remember what we always did at Christmas time?”

“Make cookies?”

“Yes, gramma and have hot cocoa and watch It's a Wonderful Life.”

“I do remember.”

In an instant we were in the kitchen of the old house. Grandma and I were eagerly making gingerbread cookies, my favorite.

The smell of gingerbread filled the kitchen and drifted into the living room. I carried the plate of cookies while grandma brought the hot chocolate. We both cuddled next to one another on the sofa. She wrapped us up in a warm soft holiday blanket. I felt so contented and safe with my grandma.

“What are you waiting for honey? Are you OK?”

I'm OK. I just know that I'll be leaving you soon. I've waited for such a long time to dream of you. I'm afraid I won't see you ever again.”

“Oh, honey don't be sad. Look at the wonderful time we are having together now in this dream. I promise, you will dream of me again and we will spend more precious time together. We will reminisce on the old and make new memories. Remember, it's your dream, you have the power to conjure up anything you desire. Now, if you're ready, I'm ready. Start the show.”

“I love you grandma.”

“I know. I love you too.”

Simultaneously we look into the cloudless blue sky as the angels in Heaven hear the prayers from George Bailey's friends and family. Our family never had a big television growing up, but this is my dream and the whole sky is our big screen. As we enjoyed our cookies, cocoa and Christmas show I swallowed back tears of happiness and sadness. I didn't want this dream to end. As the movie slowly came to a finish I looked lovingly at my grandma. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“Grandma?”

“I'm alright honey. I just love it when Clarence gets his wings.”

“Me too.”

She squeezed me tightly and placed a kiss on my temple.

Oh, how I wanted to spend more time with grandma. But soon I would be waking up. I didn't want to say the words, but I had to. My heart was already aching. I didn't want my dream to end.

Placing grandma's warm hands in my I softly whispered, “I need to go home now grandma. I love you so much. I pray that you will be in my dreams again real soon.”

“I love you too sweetheart. Don't worry. I will be in your dreams.”

Suddenly my body begins to slowly drift away. Spinning into an abyss, I'm gently floating in and out of consciousness. I feel myself drifting further and further away from my grandma and our memories we shared together tonight. When I open my eyes, I'm snuggled nice and toasty under the warm sunflower quilt my grandma made for me when I was eight. As I slowly awake from my slumber a warm peace, which I can't explain, flows throughout my body. At that very instant I knew I would soon be in dreamland with my grandma again.

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