Trip Up North

I had a dream that I was going up north
With several of my friends.
We were discussing which of us would drive
And then decided that we could all go in one car.

I don’t know why,
But everyone was dressed very nicely.
This was odd
As this was going to be long weekend,
Sort like a camping event,
though we would be staying in a hotel.
Most of the events we were going to attend
Would be outside activities.
And yet,
Everyone arrived ready to leave
In very nice attire.

My friend, Marcy,
Was wearing black pants
With a red and white blouse
That had spaghetti straps.
Dolores was dressed in black pants
With a black suit jacket.

When we got into the car
I ended up in the back seat
With two other friends.
There were actually four seated in front.
Lupe was driving,
Though in real life Lupe is already deceased.

During the drive up
We were discussing the talks
That each of us would have to give.. .
. . .some sort of testimony.
The plan was that everyone in attendance would speak.
After each talk,
A flag of some sort was placed
In a design.
The flags for our group were red and white.

When we arrived,
I decided to go for a walk.
One of my friends was with me.
A child started to follow us.
She wanted to warn us about something,
But I don’t know what.
She continued to follow us,
Though remaining behind us some distance.
As we neared a railroad track
We decided to return to the group.

On Sunday we went to church.
The priest had invited several couples
Who had lost a child.
They all came, but were seated, each couple, alone.
No one from the congregation had welcomed them
Or greeted them when they came in.
After church,
They were going to have
Some sort of support group for them.

I approached the priest
And told him that I thought
That each couple should have
Some sort of sponsor couple from the parish.
Not so much to be a part of the support group,
Though I thought that was a good idea.
But mainly to befriend them
And welcome them to our church. .
. . .introduce them to others,
attend church functions with them. . .
. . .basically spend time with them
until they knew some members of the congregation.
The priest decided that mine
Was a bad idea.

After all of this at church,
We went back to all of our activities of the weekend.
More people gave talks
And different colors of flags
Were placed in the design.

The Movie Maker

Last night,
I had a dream that I was movie maker.
Not sure if that meant
I was a producer or director
or screen play writer.
I only know that I made movies.

I was holding a preview
of some new movies I had just made.
A few short movies,
and one full length documentary film.

Many were invited to attend.
Friends and family. . .
. . and some not so friendly,
those who would prove to play the role of "foe"
in the documentary.

I think there were three short films.
While I don't recall what the others were about,
one of the films was about the flag.
It detailed what the colors
and symbols mean.
In my dream,
I remember feeling like
so many people just don't have a clue
as what symbols are,
as to what power symbols can have.
I think using the flag to explain the power of symbol
was only a prelude
to the symbols that would be found
in the documentary.

The documentary, however, was a bit difficult.
It detailed a real life situation
of a man who overcame many obstacles
to get where he is today.
And many who created those obstacles
were there watching the film.

There were also many in attendance
who had absolutely no idea
what this man overcame... not a clue.
Impressed by his story,
they began to ask him questions after the film was over.

Needless to say,
those who gave him grief
tried to defend their actions,
saying that he deserved to be treated in such a fashion,
that it was for is own good
and development.

Yet, the people seemed to support this man.
It's like,
they had an entirely new respect for him
and for those like him,
living through similar circumstances.

The man in my dream
was a Roman Catholic Priest
who was pushed out of public ministry
by leadership
who tried to impose
the rule of obedience
in nonsensical ways,
in ludicrous ways.
He began to be treated badly by leadership
when he began questioning injustice
within his group.

The movie detailed how he was still
very much involved in a public ministry,
though no longer in a formal way with the church.

The people in my dream
wanted very much for him
to return to a formal public minstry,
though they realized that this would not be possible
with the current rules and regulations of the church.

Those who pushed him out of ministry
continued to defend their actions
and their motives.

No formal decisions were made.
The man didn't decide
to try and persue a formal public ministry.
The people didn't decide
to make noise about it.
The church leaders who gave him grief
didn't decide to keep an eye on him.

But it was obvious that the movie
struck a nerve with all present.
And that no one in attendance
would ever see things the same way.