I picked up a second shift for the summer, with a manager that I worked with before my mission and who has become a good friend. He doesn’t know this, but two days ago he said something that has stayed with me, burying itself deep in my heart. He said, “Every dream I ever had came true.”
You need to understand where he was coming from to know why it impacted me so greatly. This manager is in his late 60’s, retired from both the military and the police force, but still has to work full-time here at BYU to pay the bills. His wife works here part-time as well. He works from 4:00 am to 12:30 pm Monday through Friday, in spite of several chronic health issues that frequently get in his way. On top of that, he just spent a week in the hospital dealing with a very serious infection. Thursday was his first full day back, and he was beyond stressed upon returning; his boss (our area supervisor) had changed several policies while he was gone and he felt lost in his own office. Needless to say, I don’t in any way envy this man’s position.
And yet, Thursday morning, up to his ears in very serious and potentially life-altering problems, he stopped me in the middle of a rush of work to say,after thanking me for my help, “I didn’t know about the Gospel until I was 21 years old. But since then, every dream I’ve ever had came true and then some. And God will do the same for you if you stick with the standards I’ve seen that you have. Opportunities will open up in your life and He will make of it what you never dreamed it could be.”
I was speechless. Every dream…AND THEN SOME??? How could he have so much gratitude? What had he seen in his miserable life that was so precious to him?
Now don’t get me wrong, I like working custodial on campus. It’s great, but it’s not what I would call “every dream I’ve ever had come true.” And I knew that my manager felt the same way. So to what dreams was he referring?
He doesn’t know this, but I spent the rest of that shift pondering those words, and the rest of the day after that.
I thought about what the Gospel could give me in this life that could outweigh such a sorry way of living. I thought about my wonderful husband, and the constant joy I have in him, no matter what is happening in my life. I thought about the comfort and confidence I have knowing that our marriage is eternal. I thought about another confidence, too, one that I developed as I came to better understand who I am in the eyes of God and what I can do with His support. Because of the Gospel, I have a power in myself, through God, that can and does exist separate from and transcending everything I’ll do or that will be done to me in this life.
When I was little, my dream was to be a princess, one that had the power and authority to change the world. As I got older, that dream took new forms- a teacher, a mother, a humanitarian worker, a missionary. I realized as I pondered my manager’s words that as I have come to understand my place in God’s plan and my relationship with Him, opportunities have opened up for me to be able to reach those goals. I served a mission that made me brave and helped me understand my power to influence people. I met friends that needed help and I learned how to help them. I married a man who helps me every day to become the person I want to be. I went to a university and chose a career path that allows me to teach children and help them grow the way I was taught and helped.
Every dream I’ve ever had has come true, and then some. And nothing can ever outweigh my gratitude.
Butterflies and Other Miracles 