Her hands waved in the air with great emotion as she replied to her friend, “my teacher said I would be a great writer one day! And if she said that, I know I will be! She said to “dream big!” She continued on to say to her friend “I am going to write fun books to make people laugh and smile one day!” And as fast as the little girl said those words, she was abruptly corrected by another student beside her that said, “that’s stupid! You will never be a writer, and that’s dumb anyway!” She turned to the student who was raining on her dream parade, and replied “you just wait until I am a writer someday, you’ll see!” The other student seemed to know this was not a conversation he would win, so he shook his head and ran ahead.
On my walk everyday I pass by an elementary school. And every day like clock-work the students are either running or walking the big circle for their gym glass. On one part of the side walk I am walking right beside them and can hear their conversations. On this particular day, this was the conversation I heard. This little girl wanted to be a writer! And God bless her teacher for encouraging her! Thank you teachers!
It took me back to my elementary school years. I can remember every teacher with vivid memories. But I had one special teacher who was that teacher that really impacted my life. I hated to read. I wish I could find a nicer word than hate, but I really intently disliked reading. My Mom even said I would not sit on her lap long enough for her to even read a short bible story to me at night.
My library teacher, Mrs. Howell, knew how important reading was and also saw my dislike for all those books. She pulled me aside one day and said “Lisa, never forget to be somebody! You are somebody! Reading will help you be an even better somebody!” She encouraged me and took me over to the books and talked to me about them. She found my interests, 
and told me to pick any of them I wanted. She would help me get through it. I picked the book “Old Yeller” (of course I did, it had a dog on the front cover, how bad could it be?) And that was the very first book I read to completion. I picked a tear jerker for that first book but to this day, Old Yeller has a special place in my heart. That was the beginning of me coming to the decision that reading was not all bad! But it took a teacher who took the time, believed in this young elementary school student with the attention span of a gnat, and knew that little girl could “be somebody.” Her words “be somebody” were words I remembered and thought back on fondly my entire life. I even made a sign that graced my wall for years that said those very words. “Be Somebody.”
That little girl in the school lot who was told by her teacher she would be a writer someday, had her dream encouraged! And even when the naysayer came, she stood firm and believed she was somebody! She was dreaming big and I love that!
I thought about dreams, goals, purpose, my entire walk after hearing that conversation. God instills dreams in us even at a very young age. He created us to have goals and dreams. Dreams are so important, and they really lead us to walking out our purpose. His purpose. I thought about how those dreams and purpose grow and change as we grow and change. And I thought about the dreams I felt would never come to fruition. My devotion recently was on dreaming. God plants a seed (dream) in us and it is almost like we become pregnant. But when we find out it will take effort, be costly,
inconvenient or uncomfortable to complete the preparation for the birth, we decide it wasn’t really God’s will after all and go and do something else. Have you ever found yourself in that position? Lord, why are you taking so long?
I have learned that the season of waiting is so important. And it is really what prepares us for that dream! This year I have seen one specific dream I had for years that I almost gave up on come to fruition. It could not have happened without that tough season. It even took a season of feeling broken to bring it to pass. All of those pieces were necessary. And God knew it would be beyond my expectation, but it took time.
What is your dream? Do you ever feel like it will never happen and you are tempted to give up? I want to encourage you to not give up! The process of getting there may not be easy but the reward on the other side is so worth it—the fulfillment of your God-given dream!
What a joy it was to not only have that dream come to fruition, but to share it with the teacher who inspired me to 
“Be Somebody.” Not long ago I met up with Mrs. Howell, that wonderful elementary teacher who told me I could be somebody, and we had the most precious time together. I was able to share with her every thing that happened in my life and how she planted such an important seed over 47 years ago!! And when she looked at me before she left and said with a twinkle in her eye “Lisa, you are somebody, I am so proud of you.” The tears began. Remember these words today:
Dream BIG,
Don’t give up,
Don’t let anyone squelch your dream,
YOU ARE SOMEBODY!