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November 9, 2007
A Beautiful Dream
Last night I had one of the most beautiful dreams of my life. You have to have known my friend Jeff to fully appreciate it, but I felt I needed to write it down anyway and share it with those of you who did.
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Kelly and I were vacationing in a beautiful place with steep mountains, brilliant green pastures, fluffy clouds. Our hotel room had a spectacular view. Kelly was in the shower getting ready for a hike through a nearby valley where I planned to shoot a few pictures to capture the beauty of the place. I grabbed my camera, turned around and the door swung open and in walked Jeff! He looked exactly the same as I remembered him and very much alive. We spoke to each other and joked like we had seen each other last week. Nothing about Jeff seemed to have changed - except that he had this little smile on his lips - like he had a big secret he was anxious to share. Was he really alive?
Kelly came out of the bathroom and met Jeff. Smiles were exchanged, and at that moment I noticed that other friends were in the room with us. Paul was there, Kalvin too. We all sat around the hotel room and joked and laughed like we had done a thousand times before. As always, Jeff was center stage. We were so happy. I couldn't believe it. At one point I asked, "Is this really happening?" Everyone smiled and nodded - yes, it was.
As if to prove a point, Jeff waved his arm and pointed at the door. He said, "Go ahead, say you wish the door would open." I did, and the door swung open hard - leaving no doubt as to who caused this to happen. Jeff beamed. He said, "Say you wish it would close!" The door slammed shut.
It was at this moment that I realized my friend Jeff really was dead - his new powers proved it. But it was OK - in fact better than OK. He was having a great time, and he was still very much with us.
A few seconds later a glittering, ghostly wizard came into the room. He was short - perhaps three feet tall. He looked a little annoyed with Jeff, and scolded him for "revealing too much". He reached into his robe and pulled out a hat, which he placed on Jeff's head, instantly transforming him into a wizard too. As he hustled Jeff out of the room, I heard myself say, "We love you, Jeff." The wizard looked at me and said, "I can see from your eyes that you mean what you say."
I awoke with tears in my eyes.
Posted by thedude at November 9, 2007 7:46 AM
Comments
There's nothing wrong in being a fan of the Bulldogs! My father graduated in 1964, several cousins graduated in the 80s as did their father.
My family knew several professors and I follow some of the sports from Boston when I can get news or game clips.
Kudos!
Mat
Posted by: Mat at November 9, 2007 3:26 PM
Strange dream. Do you think had this dream because you were just in Wisconsin or because this is the time of year Jeff passed away? Either way, you have probably been thinking about him lately. Wizard hat?
Posted by: Cindy at November 9, 2007 8:55 PM
It would be hard to imagine that an authority figure would be "annoyed" with Ffej, isn't it?
Lately I've found myself telling stories that Jeff was the centerpiece of. (What story is Jeff not the centerpiece of?) The most recent was of Jeff and I choosing to take a backseat packed with cases of beer (thanks again to Ed and Bill's!) to Florida for spring break rather than Nathan. We played dice games on his cassette case for drinks all the way from Burlington to Daytona. Or, on another spring break, seeing Jeff being thrown into jail for trespassing. He had taken his pillow and blanket to the beach to sleep and ended up in front of a closed hotel while Dave and I crashed in his VW Rabbit. We next saw him the following morning, shackled to about 20 other inmates, being led into court in an orange jumpsuit. There are million more, all funnier than the last but now they all end with "I wish that big, dumb Polack was still here". I'm so pissed at him. If I could find a way to make it through my bad times, why couldn't he?
I hope and pray that where ever he is now, he's laughing his ass off.
Posted by: Kalvin at November 10, 2007 6:33 AM
I don't think I've ever heard the trespassing story - too funny. He was SO proud of his Rabbit. I was with him when he picked it up at the dealership in Racine. He talked about it the whole way there - how it was a Limited Edition and all. At the time I had no idea what a Limited Edition was. He was so excited - like a little kid at Christmas.
Posted by: Cindy at November 10, 2007 9:17 AM
Jim,
Your dream and the amazing way you were able to share your experience with all of use is an incredible gift from our long lost friend. As you have had, I also have had dreams. Although not as vivid, similar in message. Even though he hurt us all by his actions, I believe Jeff is trying to heal our hearts by letting us know he is happy and OK.
Posted by: Dave at November 12, 2007 8:20 AM
Wow dude, you're starting to have very involved dreams like moi. I dream in vivid detail like that all the time...just dreamt about my Gram not too long ago, and I've also seen my old friend Craig who left us last year as well. I believe dreams do really tell us things....also, it's interesting to read what they're SUPPOSED to mean. Here's a snippet from the Dream Moods website...listed under "deceased"....
To see your dead sibling, relative, or friend alive in your dream, indicates that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. In trying to keep up with the pace of your daily waking life, you dreams may serve as your only outlet in coping and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.
Posted by: Wendage at November 12, 2007 4:25 PM
Just read this and it brought tears to my eyes. What a profound dream. Thanks for sharing that with us Jim and reminding us to remember Jeff and smile.
Posted by: Oh-Ann at November 14, 2007 7:26 AM
I think it WAS Jeff. He'd be the guy to get past the wizard!
Posted by: beek at December 6, 2007 8:49 AM
