Reality Check - not a killer of dreams.

I am doing a reality check. Maybe it is more for myself, rather than anyone else.

I know that one of the things I have to do in school is to get the kids believing in themselves...you know, encouraging them to find their wings and fly.  The last thing I want to do is be a killer of dreams.  Yet lately I wonder if I have been doing the right thing.  What do you do, when some of the things they want to achieve is almost next to impossible?

Are dreams mere illusions and fantasies ?
Or are they hopes and desires which, if channelled correctly, will set one on a journey to find one's goals?
How do we balance the need to keep believing that dreams can come true, and yet, be pragmatic enough to accept that sometimes, some things are really beyond us; especially if our ability and aptitude is not there?

I have seen enough of those who worked all their way up the academic ladder , albeit the long, tough route - But as I watch a child still struggling  to read at 16...who am I to stop him from dreaming big of ending up with a degree one day?  Or what about the child, who is not able to make the cut to enter one of the better institutions of higher learning, coming to ask for a testimonial, so that he can try to appeal for a chance?  Deep down, I have had my doubts....but no, aiming high is not the issue at hand. While apptitude and ability are crucial determinants, I realise, I should never underestimate the power of a dream :- one that is focused and driven by effort.

However, believing in a dream alone is never enough; neither is that overwhelming desire to achieve it.  Dreams cannot rely on luck; though fate does sometimes have a strange way of either helping you or thwarting the effort you have put in.  You must be able to match that with other things...that are sound in reason, and physically, can be done.

Emerson once said, "Shallow men believe in luck...strong men believe in cause and effect".  This is not however a simple equation of" dreams + hard work = success" kind of thingy...it is just that we cannot leave things to chance.  You see...the bottom line is, we try to pursue dreams...that we do have some ability to make come true.

I love this piece of work from John Maxwell's book "Put your Dream to the Test".  In it he says this of dreams:
"The journey will take longer than you hoped.
The obstacles will be more numerous than you believed.
The disappointments will be greater than you expected.
The lows will be highter than you imagined
The price will be higher than you anticipated.."

In retrospect, I suddenly see the 'common thread (haha...trait)' that runs in the hearts of all my special kids...The cynic, the realist, the dreamer, the pragmatic, the wise, the firebrand, the wander-struck, (and yes, the opportunist)...all harbour dreams of their own.  But they are so different in the way they approach their dreams...for some of these dreams...seem to die along the way. ... and I do hope that they are not 'killed' because they no longer believe that is what they want to achieve.

Me?
I think I have reached a stage where I am more than grateful for what I have.
My dreams live in my own children...and the many kids I have....so that they will get keep on moving ahead...and live their dreams.

Hold fast to your dreams kids....


Well...today's entry is indeed very random.

Dear God,
I am not sure why I am thinking of my special kids today
Especially the one with the 'broken wing'...
But do bless them all
and keep my own safe and strong in Your Care.
Ameen