By Regena Handy

I feel panic rising in my throat as we approach the hill. How can the car we are riding possibly ascend such an incline — it is practically straight up. I am breathing hard now, wondering if the vehicle will tilt over backwards.

My husband claims he doesn’t dream; sometimes I wish I didn’t. But from what I’ve read everyone dreams while sleeping, just not every person remembers their imaginings.

Many of us have a variety of dreams. For me as a child trying to fathom this big world, they were often of the nightmare types. Our youngest son had night terrors. It was more upsetting to us his parents than to him as he never recalled those frightening moments.  However, it did terrify our older son to see his little brother so scared.

The thing about dreams is that emotionally I feel they are a form of communication, a message that I am simply not hearing or understanding. Logically I know that is not the case.

But perhaps that is because I, like many others, believe somewhat in prophetic dreams. Visions or messages are spoken of often in the Bible. Supposedly President Lincoln dreamed of his own demise, to the extent that he would be killed by an assassin.

I have had a few such occurrences that I believed were prophetic revelations but which I could not interpret. It was only after the fact that I could understand the dream’s association with an actual event.

Most dreams make no sense at all. Others, however, can easily be explained or related to actual events. Such as my work dreams. I’ve been retired for more than a decade yet still have dreams concerning my old job. More often than not I have forgotten some important task or am running late on a particular project deadline. There are also the easily explained snow dreams where I am caught away from home on icy roads. I am paranoid about winter travels because of a couple of past vehicular accidents resulting from snow conditions.

Some people have reoccurring dreams, such as my own about traveling the steep road. I’ve heard others speak of being in a dark room where they can’t find an exit door. Or the oft told one where someone or something is pursuing the dreamer and their inability to scream for help.

Some people claim they dream of being caught undressed in public. Thankfully, I’ve never had that one as it would surely be classified as a nightmare not only for me but anyone who had the misfortune to catch a glimpse of this old woman’s body.

But the best dreams of all include our loved ones who have passed from this world.  My parents and brothers and son are often in my nighttime, meanderings. Recently my mind took a journey with my mother and son, who are no longer part of this world, and my younger son. In the dream the older son was about ten and the younger approximately four.  The vision was so vivid and we were so happy that when I began to awake and realized it was only a dream, I actually tried to will myself back to sleep. Such a sweetness, to spend a little time with them again.

Just dreaming ….