Happy Birthday Donna!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 02:04AM I know it's supposed to be "Wordless Wednesday", but since it is Donna's birthday I thought I would hijack the blog and post her birthday present right here to share with all of our friends instead. It was a group effort, after all!
Donna and I have been talking a lot about dreams lately. One really wonderful thing about a friendship that spans a couple of decades is being able to participate in eachother's dreams, to encourage and support them, to comfort when they don't go as we'd hoped, but always to share the journey. It has made me realize how thankful I am for her, and for the gift that she has of inspiring me to dream big and to follow through!
Anyone who knows Donna would agree that this is something that comes easily to her. Knowing her story, how she shares her heart and lives with integrity, even being in the same room with her makes you think that great things are possible. What occurred to me is that I don't think that she even knows she has this gift... so our gift to her is to honor her on her birthday by asking some experts about their dreams, and to share their answers here.
So, the question was asked, "what is your wildest (or biggest or most amazing) dream?"
...and here are the (unedited) answers:
"I wish I could fly. I would fly all around the world and stop at Africa first."
-Noah Santini
"My dream is to see my art hanging in a museum someday."
–Jaden Santini
"I dream that I would see leopards and monkeys and wildcats. I would play animal games. And the wildcats would be very nice to me even though they are mean. And then me and the monkeys would reach from tree to tree. Then me and the wildcats would eat wildcat food because I would be transformed into a wildcat in my dream. By the way, I would like to meet some hippopotamuses in my dream. I would feed all of the wild animals as long as I am staying at the jungle."
-Riley Kluczynski
"I want to be a Golden Knight and break down the bad castle. I will help them when the bad guys try to attack the city. I want to help people. I will have a horse and a lance with a flag with a sign that says “the Knight Castle”."
-Aiden Burchett
"I want to be a real knight with shiny armor and with a helmet and a feather and a sword. I want to be a knight in shiny armor! I want to fight the bad guys, and dragons. A white knight. I want a white lance with a white circle and a white horse!"
-Jojo Burchett
"I have a dream a lot that Uncle Bubba pops his head out of the ceiling & the walls to surprise me. He doesn’t say anything. Sometimes he pops his head out of the floor & we’re playing a board game & his head is under the game board."
-Gracie Pyron
“I fell deeply in love with a boy on the bus…”
-Nadia Scorza
"For terminally ill kids, I could design a version of Carebot (a previously-designed robot used to relay information from shut-ins to their hospital or doctor) that could play with the kids; it could play games, tell them jokes, maybe even go get their meds for them and tell them when to take them. It could maybe even get a glass of water too. It could read them the time when they asked it, it could be moved around with a remote control, it could show them pictures like a digital photo frame, and even show movies. It could make telephone calls for them and interface with their tv so they could use the same robot remote to change tv channels. The robot could tell the kids stories and play them music, and emulate various video game consoles. It could videoconference so the kids could talk to their parents or a doctor, or maybe even a friend from around the world. It could let them be able to email people from inside itself. Using face recognition, the robot could identify people the child requested. It could also be used to interface with a room automation system to shut shades, turn off lights, when asked.
I want this robot to really brighten up their lives. I would like it to be able to act like a pet, a robot they can have fun and play with that they don’t need to feed or anything…rechargeable batteries with a solar charger all built in. I can build this someday…maybe even not too long from now. I really hope it will make someone happy."
p.s. "Mom?" yelled from his bed..."Do you think I could add in a Bible to the Carebot-Plus? I think the Bible is a great addition!"
From my office, "I think it's a fabulous idea!"
"OK, add that in."
-Matthew East
Stetson, Jamesen and Emmersen Bardfield:
Pretty amazing, right?! What is your dream?
Happy Birthday, my dear friend. Thank you for never letting me give up on the dreams that matter the most.
love, to the moon & back,
Heather
Reader Comments (6)
Donna, I hope your birthday is filled with love and joy! I can tell you, it sure made my day to read (and listen to) all of these dreams that were called to mind in honor of you. How awesome. I love you so much! Jessica
I don't even know what to say...I have trears rolling down my face. I'll be back with something more profound to say, or maybe not. I love you all so much. This is so so sweet. Thanks Heather for putting this together. What a blessing.
Have a happy & beautiful day Donna! Dream big! XOXO Andrea
Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you!
You are such a blessing to me. I am so thankful to have you in my life!!
Tabi and Sophie wanted to add there "big dreams" in.
Tabitha- I want to be a mermaid and swim with the nice ocean animals then transform into a fairy and fly with the air animals, like birds.
Sophie- I want to be Minny Mouse because I like Mickey ( he's smart) and I want to live at Disneyland forever.
I LOVE THIS. It made me cry. Thank you for sharing.
I have two dreams:
1) For my children to grow up to be happy, productive -- good people
2) To create a fund at Rose Park Advisors that funds women-owned businesses
3) To produce a documentary
Happy Birthday Donna!
Well, more than two dreams. But these are the -- want to do before I die.