As I spent a majority of my week in rehearsals for Urban Impact's Light the Night, I was struck by a beautiful song that was so appropriate for this time of year. The song was entitled "Carpenter Song" and the first verse is as such:

I am a carpenter, and I build with careful hands

I do my best to take each block of wood

and carve it into something strong and sturdy,

Something useful, something beautiful for the world

I think if more individuals saw themselves as carpenters, this world would be full of deeper whimsy and kindness and love. I began to think about what dreams really are-because I have always been a huge dreamer. And I think life is so beautiful in this way-dreaming is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. Because as a dreamer, you are really thinking about your next block of wood-what you wish to create to make the world more beautiful. . . 

Essentially, I look at this song as the epitome of a dreamer's hope. The hope that the continued creating with careful hands may turn mistakes into wonders and hesitations into confident artistic expressions of love. A dreamer isn't simple wasting time but taking time to build and construct and carve that block of dreams into something worthwhile-something shareable-something beautiful-something full of life and patient understanding. And how beautiful life is that we get the opportunity to wake up each and every day and whittle that wonderful piece of wood into something truly remarkable, something useful, something beautiful for the world. Maybe you are a realistic thinker or have a practical mind but encourage yourself during this season of light to pay special attention to that piece of wood that you have been handed. Where do you want to go with it? What do you want to turn it into? Look deep inside yourself-because that answer is hidden there-somewhere in the carvings of your wood block.