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Have you ever had a conversation in an elevator that continued after you got out? I know, I know, you’re probably all thinking-in your dreams! Who has a conversation with strangers in an elevator? Let alone one that continues after the ride up or down is over.  Well, it happened to me. And for all of the authors reading this, I’m not talking about an “elevator pitch” (a brief description of the plot in a book that hooks their interest but is short enough to get done while riding an elevator). No, it began when I asked the two other people in our cramped trappings if they ever wondered what it would be like if elevators could also travel side to side instead of just up and down. Naturally, it brought quick chuckles from my vertical traveling companions. Then, when I said that “I recently rode in an elevator like that,” it got them hooked with curiosity.

After a brief pause for effect, I added: “Of course it was in a dream.”  More chuckles followed, no doubt with nervous relief that I wasn’t a crazy person. But not wanting to end this rare interplay about my imaginations, I kept the volley going.

Then, as we exited our ride at the ground floor, the gentleman admitted that he was a dreamer too. Heading in the same direction, I caved to the admission of being a person who has had lots of vivid dreams all my life. “So much that I started figuring out how to interpret my dreams when I was a teenager.” I admitted further. Before long we were having an extended conversation in the parking lot. Of course, I was also able give the guy a pitch for my book, The Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café.  After all, I told myself, it begins with a dream. “It was a dream that led me to write the book in the first place.” I added to my pitch. “And in the sequel coming out soon, Elise admits, “Like a side of bacon with pancakes, my dream interpretations have become a morning staple.”  After a few more minutes of an interesting exchange, we parted ways and headed to our cars.

We never know where a dream or short comment might lead.

We also don’t know what this new year might bring. Will our dreams take us up or down or will obstacles, adversities, and troubles take things sideways. There’s an old adage in the Christian community that says: We make our plans and God laughs. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that God laughs at our troubles. And if you read my last couple of blogs, then you know that this past year brought my husband and I lots of trials. So many adversities, that at times it felt like getting repeatedly hit by crashing waves. Yet we learned that our trials are what make us stronger when we trust God during them.

While I’ve never tried the sport of surfing, I imagine that learning to trust God while the crashing waves of adversity are coming at you, might be a little like learning to surf. Surfers have to ignore the fear and danger of huge waves approaching by learning to maneuver their board and ride over or through the middle of them. Riding through the middle of a wave is called “shooting the curl,” and it has to be the most exciting thrill they experience. Brad Kaz, of Kaz Photography, is a surfer who beautifully captured one of those moments in the photo you see here. After many years of  being a surfer himself, he confirmed that riding through the curl is not only the biggest thrill it is the hardest to do. And when we learn to trust God during our difficult trials and let Him guide us through the middle of the fearful, waves of adversity, we can experience a deep sense of gladness. A kind of pervasive sense of confidence and a joy like no other.

So, as we look back on the dreams and aspirations we had in 2025 that may or may not have been successful, and try to set goals for this new year, I suggest we all take some time to consider God’s plan for us. To bring our dreams to Him with an open heart that listens to where He leads. To be ready for what God has in store for us, whether painful, fearful, or joyful. And as Elise discovers in the Buzz @ Chicky-Pie’s Café, in Jeremiah 29:11 it says: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to give you peace, not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.”