Accepted for Dream Year - Yippee!!

I am thrilled, honored and excited beyond words! In October I went to the STORY Conference in Chicago. The conference motivated and inspired me. Ben Arment directed it, so I began reading Ben's blog and following him on Twitter. In November, Ben posted about a unique opportunity he was offering for 2010 called Dream Year.

Ben describes Dream Year as ...

A 12-month process that's designed to help you bring your God-given dream to life.
You bring the dream.
I'll be your dream coach.
As a community of 20 participants...
We'll make it happen.

Trembling I applied. 

Today I received an email from Ben Arment that said -

Welcome to Dream Year!

From January to December, 2010 - Ben will coach me to help make my dream come true. I just reread what I wrote in the application to Ben's question "What is your dream?" It sounds and feels audacious ... but Ben said "Dream Big."

I’ve learned to live in the tension of celebrating miracles (big ones and everyday ones) while being real about the disappointments I live with. I want to use that to inspire people and give them hope. Hope in the midst of disappointment. Hope when life doesn't turn out like expected. My dream is to do this by finishing/publishing my memoir and by speaking - around the world. I feel 'fully alive' when I share my story - whether its to 2 people or 200 people. I feel about speaking (and running) like Eric Liddell says he feels about running in Chariots of Fire, "I feel God's pleasure when I do it." 

I guess, in a year - I'll know how successful (or not) Dream Year was. In the meantime, I'll have a lot of work to do.

Tonight I'm excited and exhausted - so I think I'll start with a nap to prepare ...