Dream Escape

Dreams were funny things. Some said, like in Cinderella, that dreams were a wish your heart makes, your deepest desires, others that they were just weird, random things your brain strung together as you slept. People may have thought that dreams were reflections of our past and some hopes for our future. Whatever your opinion, dreams are somewhat magical. Like a story, in a dream, anything can happen.

Maya Sinclair's opinion of dreams fell into categories one and four. Maya believed dreams were both a wish of the heart and a hope for one's future. Not only were dreams these things for Maya but also an escape. An escape from reality. From reality's tough nature and trying times.

Maya always slept the most soundly when she dreamt, and this day, her dream was something she could not stop thinking of. The whole day it plagued her mind. In the dream, she had been with her mother, who had died when Maya was 3 in a car accident. In this dream, Maya was the same age as she was in the present day, 15. Though her mother hadn't aged a day. She was just the way she'd been when Maya was 3. She was hust the way Maya remembered her. They'd been on a deck somewhere overlooking a beautiful rainforest. There was an outdoor dining set on the deck, white in colour. This was where Maya and her beautiful mother had sat, simply talking. Talking as if her mother had merely gone away for 9 years and had now returned. Maya was filling her in on the events that had occured in her abscence.

At the end of the dream, Maya's mother told her that although she could bno longer be with her, she could be with her in a different way.

Free

Viveca Lucas, now 89 years old was the last surviving member of her family. She knew her time was nearly up. She'd battled long enough. Cancer, not that anyone said it was, was not a fun experience. Some survived, but Viveca was sure she would not be one of them. But that was ok. She'd lived a full and long life. A life in which she'd had a family, been a wife, been a mother, and had even been a grandmother. Now though, time was getting short.

Viveca had been in hospital many months now, and as she stared out the window at the world beyond, she looked back on her life. She'd had a happy, long full life. That was all she could have asked. She gazed at an old picture of herself from around the time she'd graduated university. 'Yes,' she thought, 'I'm happy. I've led a good life and I'm ready now, whenever the Good Lord wants to take me, I am happy to go.'

On the other hand, Viveca's youngest grand daughter Hannah was sad to see her go, she realised that her grandmother had been in pain and she had been happy to go. As she set a lotus down a calm stream of water in memory of Viveca shortly after her funeral, she remembered that like the gently flowing water, her grandma was now free. Free of pain and sadness. Of anger and regret. Free.

Clearer Skies Ahead

Miranda Collier was the single mother of a single child. A 16 year old daughter, Hazel. Miranda and Hazel looked very alike but of course, as every person does, had their differences about them. Miranda for instance, being older, was taller standing at 5 foot 8 inches tall while Hazel, who stood at 5 foot, wore glasses with violet frames that covered her plain grey-blue coloured eyes. What both mother and daughter did have in common was their soft, wavy light brown hair.

Hazel wasn't all that you'd expect though. Hazel had a physical condition called Cerebral Palsy, a condition caused by brain damage that affected your muscles. Cerebral palsy come in varying degrees and Hazel was rather mild compared to some of them. In fact, Hazel wasn't even immediately noticable at all. But if you walked really closely behind her, you'd notice a slight limp in her walk and it wasn't visible, but she also had learning difficulties. Because of these learning difficulties, Hazel got aide time at school, and while this was a real benefit to how she did accademic, it was unfortunately, a real detriment to her social life. Because she was different, so clearly pointed out by the fact she had an aide, others exiled her.

So when Miranda discovered a mentoring group for teenagers around Hazel's age through a Cerebral Palsy support organisation that she and Hazel were involved in, Miranda immediately signed her daughter up. Like everyone was at something new, Hazel was a little nervous and unsure at first, but as time went by and the program progressed, Hazel grew to love each session and would look forward eagerly to everyone. Over its 6 month course, mentoring became a huge part of Hazel's life. Not only had Hazel gained an older friend and mentor in the young woman, Kate, with whom she was partnered but a whole new set of friends her own age.

Also as the program progressed, Miranda noticed exceedingly positive changes in her daughter. Her self esteem grew little by little and her confidence soared. At the program's conclusion, although upsetting for Hazel due to how much of a huge part of her life mentoring had become, Miranda was sure that Hazel was happier.

Miranda watched from the local sailing club's function room as Hazel talked and laughed with her large group of new found friends on the private balcony and at this sight, Miranda was sure there would be clearer skies ahead.

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For all the wonderful people- both mentors and the fellow mentees from my mentoring experience. Thanks for all the laughs and the fun. Thanks for such a blast! Friends for life.