Dresses and Dreams

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

-Coco Chanel (thank you, Helen)

My classy and very fabulous friend Kelsey discovered this quote when we were roommates. She would put weekly quotes up on my mirror bedazzled with magazine cut outs and sparkly things, which were the highlight of my week. They were clever little tidbits about love, food, diamonds, boys, song lyrics that got my day off to a very humorous start. I have them all still.

This particular quote came to my mind today sitting under a thatch roof watching Lucy, my awesome new seamstress, effortlessly create one masterpiece after another. Trinity came along with me to supervise and what I thought was going to be a quick pick up turned into a full blown, dress-up, fashion show like the kind that 10 year old girls spend their whole Saturday on. I never grew out of that stage, so this afternoon was the most girl fun I have had since I have been here.

Lucy has a small shop about a 10 minute walk from my house. You enter under a thatch awning (I of course have to duck) where there are two tables with old-fashion sewing machines spun by hand. Beyond Lucy’s table, there is a small square room in the back with some benches, several bags of material scraps, pictures of models in dresses, which are all ideal plump, voluptuous women, and a small mirror hanging from a door. I greeted Lucy and her bright smile was welcoming as she turned the wheel of her machine. Instantly my eyes were drawn to the green and black fabric I had brought yesterday for my “floor length” dress. I am border-line obsessed with green and gravitated to it like a squirrel to anything shiny. I was oo-ing and ah-ing over it and drowning her in compliments, which they all respond to here by laughing because they don’t know what to do. Trinity was just as delighted and said the whole town will talk about this dress when they see it. It was my turn to laugh.

Lucy, the three girls in matching dress that work for her, and Trinity all wanted me to try them on. They especially wanted to see the green and black one, but Lucy and her crafty eye needed to make sure things fit ok. Contradictory to my love of playing dress up, I really hate trying things on. I avoid it at all costs, which is why I return half of what I buy. I was headed that direction, but had to remember where I was and who I was with that I could certainly stand to appease this lovely group on a Friday afternoon.

 I walked into the room in the back with no door or privacy for that matter, which was painted green by the way, and slipped it on. Immediately I looked down at my dusty feet. I could have handled a few more inches in the length, but decided to let that go smiling at the thought of Lucy trying to measure me yesterday.

So that is how the afternoon went. We played dress-up. I took Trinity’s measurements for a very lucky future birthday girl so she tried on the dress I had made for my friend and we had a ball. There were about three times I got stuck and she had to help me, which made us laugh so hard because I looked like a half-clothed disaster. She did teach me a new trick though- if something gets stuck over your shoulders, don’t stand up and try and pull if over your head. Behind over at your waist and pull. It will come right off!

I chalk it up to a girl thing, but I love that the “girl thing” transcends cultural borders. Though these women and I have completely different ideals when it comes to beauty, none of that mattered because today, we were all speaking the same lingo: girl talk, very classy and oh-so fabulous girl talk.

My dear friend Dr. Kammeron Gersbach gave me a book before I left called “Dreaming with God” and it rocked my world this morning. Let me tell you something about Kammeron- I have never in all my days met a person that had an instant understanding of my heart of hearts better than she did. Not only is she incredibly gorgeous and a brilliant chiropractor who literally got me through my final basketball season, she is a wild, shameless dreamer. She has this incredible understanding of the intimate relationship God wants with us and consequently, a complete confidence in the dreams that God has placed in her heart. She has built her life, her marriage and her business around these dreams and God has blessed her tremendously. She has an unshakable trust and faith in God’s ability to do absolutely anything. She is real, authentic and genuine. I tell her I have never met someone with her head stuck so far up in the clouds and her feet still firmly planted on the ground as her. I feel so honored to call someone like her a friend. It makes me feel like a really big deal, and she will roll her eyes when she reads that;)

When I was reading today, I had one of those “ah-ha” moments that are diesel to the flame inside you. Solomon, known as the wisest man in all of human history, was blessed tremendously by God. Pardon the mini Bible lesson here, but hang with me because you need to hear this. In 1 Kings 8, he dedicates the temple that his father David had dreamt up. Solomon quotes the Lord, “I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people of Israel. “

The author writes, “He didn’t choose a city. He chose a man, and the idea for a temple was in the heart of the man.” David’s ingenuity and notions revolutionized history because God embraced them.

So what I have to say to you is this: You are God’s idea, and there are things inside your heart that you push off to the side because you think you can’t have them have accepted the lie that you are mediocre and do not have the capability to accomplish them. Dreams fuel our purpose for living. Stifle them and a part of us dies. When I was deep in thought about this this morning, I had this image of God holding the video camera in front of my face like over-bearing obsessed, first-time parents do with their new baby. They are just dying to catch a glimpse of first signs of personality, laughter or funny faces. They are so eager to see what this little person will become. I really think God feels the same way. We have treasure chest of dreams in our hearts that He is just dying to see what we will do with them.

I thought of a lot of things as I digested this. I thought of a lot of my friends and people I know who, if they even had a small grasp on this, they wouldn’t be living the way they are living. They would know they are meant for so much more. I thought of Comfort and what she is trying to do for the girls in Saboba. She wants to start a girls club, which I will be honest, I have no idea what that is exactly, but from what I have gathered from her, she wants a safe place for the girls to come in hopes of helping them continue their education and make something of themselves. I thought about the potential something like that has to practically help girls here  with their schoolwork, their problems at home or with boys, and make them understand their own worth and potential. I thought of all the things God has written in their hearts- all things that could make their worlds better in ways no one could but that girl or that girl…

And yet the lives they lead, void of confidence, self-respect and love has imprisoned a heart full of dreams and ideas- dreams have the capability to change their world. It is a crime against humanity to keep such treasures locked away.

My mind has been mulling this over all day and I will go to sleep very soon thinking about it, and I think you should too.

I also think you should think you should play dress up if you have the chance, and if you are a boy, I think you should go shoot, race, tackle or build something and get back to the place you were when your dreams were your reality.

P.S. While I am grateful I have the internet, I am furious that for the last 4 days, I CANNOT upload new pics to facebook or email my peeps with strong stomachs and appreciation for really gross things all my gross pictures, which I am deeply sorry about. I need someone else to see them so we can talk about how disgusting that teratoma is.