don’t let them slip away.

i love dreamcatchers. i don’t have one, but as soon as i am back in north carolina, i’m headed to the native american indian reservation about 30 minutes from my parents’ home and get one.

the thing about dreamcatchers is that they give me hope. they motivate me. usually you hang one over your bed, and the idea is to catch all the good dreams, and let the bad ones pass right on through. it’s the idea of holding on to what’s good that’s meaningful to me. gathering all of the good dreams up in the beautiful dreamcatcher, and just letting them be there until they come true.

think of your dreams. the biggest ones you have. what are they? what do you dream about doing or being most? what do you want? what brings you joy & passion? now, imagine all of these beautiful, wonderful dreams caught up in your dreamcatcher… a safe place for them to stay, while you work on making them reality. and then, when you do, more dreams come & take the place of the old ones.

i love the idea, the image, of a dreamcatcher. holding all that is important to me, not letting my dreams slip away, and reminding me that dreams do come true.

thursday night i went to a cd release party for a dear friend & his group, blackbyrd. after much hard work, long hours, uncertainty, and inspiration, their new cd was competed, and tonight was the night to celebrate. woo hop. it was my first cd release party, and it did not disappoint. with my love by my side, and amazing & funny friends to enjoy the night with, i sat back, sipped some wine, and let the music fill me. blackbyrd’s music is the perfect calming breath that you need at the end of the day. i can just be & just soak in the music, the instruments, the lyrics, as i listen.

i am inspired by my friend, and his desire to chase his dreams. to keep working hard, to keep following his heart, living his passion, and sharing his talent with those of us fortunate to hear him. he is a dreamer, a believer, and dedicated to seeing his passion lived out. and he’s got all his dreams safe & sound in his dreamcatcher.

i have dreams too, you know. i dream of writing & taking photos full-time. of sitting at my desk, with an inspiration board in front of me, filled with colorful, beautiful words & images, sipping on coffee & tea, and writing all day long. i dream of using photos that i take in the books that i publish. of traveling to far away places, reflecting on those travels, and sharing my thoughts & experiences & photos with the world.

i have put that dream in my little imaginary dreamcatcher. it’s sitting there, safe & sound.

and i’m working on it. trying to write when i can. and trying to find ways to incorporate photography & writing into my daily life. and while i have a way to go to reach the dream i described above, i think i’m actually on my way.

thanks to my dear friend and his band/group, blackbyrd, i’ve had 3 photographs in 3 different local papers. and now…. i am honored & humbled to say that my photo is the cover of blackbyrd’s new cd (pictured above)! yep. the raindrops are a photo i snapped one morning earlier this fall one from my kitchen window. i am so overwhelmed & overjoyed that they wanted to use my photo on their cd! it feels quite amazing.

all this to say, we all have dreams. and, i encourage, challenge, and support you in following yours. whatever your dreams are, don’t give up. fight for them. keep fighting. and imagine that they are there, safe in your dreamcatcher, simply waiting for you to make them come true.

whatever you do today, whatever you face… find one moment to do something that you deeply love doing or being. follow your heart. feel your passion. believe in yourself. and make your dreams come true!

peace & love.