You may or may not  know who they are . . . average every-day individuals who have traversed through life doing what they can out of love of life, love of God, love of their children—love of others—without concern for gaining recognition.

I can’t help but think of my husband, Gary, who married me with three little boys to raise, ages 4, 7 and 9. Sure, he fell in love with me, but also he was a handsome guy with a good job as a ticket agent for Greyhound Bus Lines. There were women he may have preferred, but he chose me, one who had come out of a great struggle from a calamitous marriage, with hundreds of dollars still owed to her lawyer. He opted to come alongside me in life, making sure I, with my sons, had a nice home with everything we needed to help a family do well. He gave himself to us, out of love, yes, but he stepped in not knowing how it would all come down. He was, and is, my knight in shining armor—with amour in his heart. God saw it and blessed him. And, blessed us. As Christmas approaches, it is especially grand as we were married on Christmas Day and are about to have our 54th anniversary. (Our “living room” marriage took place while Gary was on a brief Christmas leave from the Navy Seabees.)

Because of Gary’s sacrificial love, I could now know “our” family would be OK!

Early in our marriage. I experienced a sudden, life threatening illness—taking me right up to heaven’s gate. Yet, a risky surgery brought me back. Gary was beside my hospital bed for hours each day, then home taking care of the needs of three little boys. While spending much recuperation time in bed, I discovered that journaling, prayer and dream work were of great help as I sought healing. Consequently, these practices, coupled with studying the Bible, have continued throughout life.

Dreams can be teachers. A recent dream portrayed elements that show up within the lives of people who “truly live.” The dream infers that the “giving” we do in life will majorly influence what takes place once we reach the eternal realms of heaven.

Prior to this point in life, I’ve come to believe life is all about “how” we love . . . and that the more we love in this life the more we are like our Creator. Within last night’s dream another piece is added. The pictures and symbols portrayed that there is a very different “end result” in the next life when we give strictly from the heart, versus having an ulterior motive of gaining worth, needing something back, or giving out of fear of being “dissed if we don’t.”

This will be surprising to us in the next life, as we may not expect what comes. 1st Corinthians 3:9-14, came to me immediately after the dream, which speaks of us being “co-workers in God’s service . . .” Verse 12, says, “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.” Wow! There will be a fire—to put our works to the test!

The dream showed how giving of ourselves and our abilities—not to be seen or admired, nor to gain power or appreciation—and not out of fear of any kind . . . but simply out of love, can never be destroyed. This is a giving that will STAND the heat of fire once our earthly lessons are over. I saw clearly in the dream that only what we have done on earth out of love will matter. And, speaking of the rewards, these will be empowerments. After the dream it was easy to believe our rewards will fortify and increase our natural abilities, expanding these magnificently throughout eternity. New, enriched understanding of all we have learned while here on earth will be ours. It brings joy to imagine what all may be ahead for us.

Thanks be to God for the gift of life and love—and thanks for the memories.