A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

"There's one thing they can't order me to do. They can't order me to stop dreaming." With that conviction in her heart, Disney's Cinderella never gave up on her dreams. Walt Disney once said about her, "Yes, she believed in dreams, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went to the castle and got him."

There's nothing wrong in being a dreamer. I've abandoned some dreams, mostly because God closed the doors. God closed doors for the Apostle Paul, so there's no reason to expect He won't close doors for me from time to time. "When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." Acts 16:7, NIV+ "I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles." Romans 1:13, NIV+

The dreams I am working toward at this time include:
1) becoming more than a cowgirl at heart
2) becoming a children's novelist
3) becoming a horse artist

Due to current temporary circumstances, my progress towards making these dreams come true has slowed down. Until God closes the doors on these dreams, I'm going to continue to work on them.

I don't actually need to own a horse to be more than a cowgirl at heart. Once I join the American Quarter Horse Association, I plan to sign up for their horseback riding program. There are two divisions, one for  registered American Quarter Horses and the other for any breed. The only requirements are a one-time membership fee (joining both requires a separate membership for each) and maintaining an active AQHA membership. Then it's just a matter of logging hours spent in the saddle. Multiple horses can be ridden as long as a log sheet is kept for each horse ridden. The rider does not need to own the horses being ridden. Prizes are based on hours spent in the saddle during the year.

I write every day, whether I feel like it or not. Some days it might only be a paragraph or two, but I make it a priority to write something every day. I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish the first draft, but I have a tentative goal of having it done by the end of 2013.

I also work on my art every day. It's slow going, as I want to be sure my work is as good as it can be. Even though I don't have the art supplies I need, that's no reason not to keep drawing every day. To say I can;t draw because I don't have all the supplies I need is just making excuses.

Yes, God can close the doors on my dreams. I won't complain if He does, because that just means He has something better in mind for me. But until He closes the doors, I'm going to keep working on making my dreams come true, even if I'm only taking baby steps right now.