It was almost a full year after my dad died, that I had my first dream about him.
I woke up happy, just to have the chance to visit with him.
Like most of my dreams, it didn't make much sense or seem very significant in the moment. It wasn't until I tried to describe it to someone else, that I understood the message.
My dad was a farmer for all of his 78 years. It was no surprise to see him in my dream, working on a tractor, fixing something. (As a farmer, my dad was a veterinarian, biologist, ecologist, mechanic, accountant and philosopher all rolled into one.) As he was working on the tractor he was excitedly telling me the good news about the price of corn. He was more excited than I had ever seen him in my life - a smile spread broadly across his face in the shadow of the bill of his feed cap.
No wonder. He told me that corn was selling for $100,000 per bushel! Wow!
In real life, any farmer would turn cartwheels in a stubble field at the sound of such figures! (for the uninitiated, corn typically sells from anywhere from 50 cents to $15 per bushel. Most typically around $3 - $5, if memory serves.)
As I dreamt it, I was just thrilled to be talking to Dad, and seeing him so happy. When I woke up, it struck me.
He wasn't talking about the price of corn, he was telling me about the riches of heaven. His message was that the riches of heaven were unbelievable. Beyond reason or comprehension.
He emphasized that anything we work for, or grow or nurture here on earth is worth 100,000 times more in heaven. Our work, our effort, our passion. God sees it all.
It's especially more poignant as I spoke with my mom back home. It's early July and the corn in the fields in Nebraska are burning up. Instead of the most vibrant green you can imagine, the leaves are yellow and brown, dying before your very eyes.
Even that news didn't suppress my cheer. Imagine... if you could gather just 10 bushels - you'd still be sitting pretty! (not in our earthly reality of course, only in the heavenly sense.)
I could not ask for a better visit! I really believe he was sharing the joy of salvation with me.
More remarkably, my niece told me that she dreamt about him that very same night! So he came to visit us both. I need to ask her what message he gave her, and maybe post it here with her permission.
