Dream Small

I have so many big dreams sometimes I have trouble focusing on cleaning the house lol. No really. I'll be dreaming up everything in my life from the books I want to write to the places I want to speak, things I want to paint (and I actually don't know if there is anything I don't want to paint in my house) I will be thinking and researching and forgetting my mundane jobs completely.

If I had oddles of free time I could sit back and enjoy dreaming, but have so many hats in this season: Directing Curriculum and doing storytimes at our Daycare, Schooling our oldest two, teaching for our Homeschool group, Taking care of my two year old and part time babysitting the neighboors girls, and then there are all the small farm chores because right in the middle of my busiest season we started collecting farm animals, because farms are so easy and low maintenance, or actually the opposite. 

But I am beginning to learn about dreaming small. Like this; Today I went to a local cancer treatment center with two tiny bunnies and passed them out to patients for two hours. This was a small dream come true. Flashback to last Fall; we (read; mostly me) decided to breed our sweet rabbits and taking photos of them to sell. When I was researching adorable bunny poses I found this The Blue Clover Rabbitry and was inspired by her business and also that she socialized baby bunnies by taking them to a local retirement community. I thought "What if I could breed bunnies and also let them be therapy animals?". We loved our experience finding homes for our first 12 baby bunnies. It was like sharing our joy with friends and strangers. Little balls of soft liquid eyed love.

Then this week a friend, Sharon Oakie who invited me to the cancer center on treatment day. On the way home I heard this song, "Dream Small" and cried. My big dreams sometimes feel unattainable and the things I need to do never end. But could I dream small dreams? Can I do little things with great love? Ted and I run the daycare knowing that each teacher, each parent wiping a tear away from a two year old is really a big thing. 

 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me," - Jesus from Matthew 18

I started keeping bunnies because my D, who has mild autism, benefits from caring for them. When she has a meltdown, or is close many times I send her off to "bunny therapy" as we jokingly call it. She pets her animals and comes back so much calmer.

I decided to let her breed them because I thought it would be a good experience for her. I didn't know the time and attention she gives her animals would make them fit to be loving pets. I didn't know that the love she pours into her rabbits would flow out onto those cancer patients today.  She kissed the two baby bunnies this morning before I drove away and said, "You be sweet". And those bunnies sat so sweetly enjoying snuggles from around 10 patients and smiles from everyone. "I have never seen so many people smiling here!" My friend Sharon said.

 My small dream was to nurture my child. At times it felt silly doing that with lots of ducks, chickens and many baby bunnies. Especially when my house is dirty and my to do list long. But now I am learning about dreaming small and doing little things with great love. Because the truth is it matters! Reader; your small efforts, no matter how mundane matter because you do them with love. Now on to clean my bathtub!

D falling in love with Marigold in the beginning