At 6 A.M., I was gentled awake with two inspiring dreams:

A wintry afternoon, its chill tempered by the sun’s warmth, I happen to meet my friend Pat Coughlin. Others joined us for and hugs and stimulating conversation.

A sumptuous banquet honored the Superior General of the Society of the Heart in a large dining room that opened out onto the deck. Hundreds enjoyed gourmet entrees and choice wines, seated around tables with white-starched linens and centerpieces of white roses and trailing ivy. Lively music supported the camaraderie, despite the Superior General’s inability to speak English. I was responsible for all the arrangements.

Deep joy suffused recall of these dreams, again revealing wholeness in my psyche. In both, I was fully present to the experience—No hiding out in defense mechanisms. I was alive and well.

The second dream places me in a servant ‘s role as I tended the needs of the Superior General and her community of which I had been a member for seventeen years. Gone are all my resentments toward them, after decades of seeking their removal—evidence of Higher Power doing for me what I cannot do for myself.

The fruit of dream work continues lightening my experience of old age with its limits. I’m grateful …