Flashback. Summer 2000.

Flashback. Summer 2000. Feels like a lifetime ago. 

No kids. 

Working full time during the week -- still believing that as a social worker, I could at least make a dent in people's lives. 

Spending every weekend breaking in our new boat, lost in another world on the lake.  

My husband grew up on a lake. He already knew how to ski.  

Me, on the other hand, did not have a clue! So I spent weekend after weekend attempting what felt like an impossible task. I would wear myself out trying to let that boat pull me out of the water so I could glide across the water on skis.  But nope. 

Weekend after weekend, my attempts were met with disaster. Drinking half the lake, body twisted in ways it was never meant to twist.  I'd leave the lake exhausted, frustrated, and disappointed.  Another weekend of still not being able to get up on skis.  

Then finally, at the end of the summer, the boat finally pulled me up! As you can see from the picture, after getting up, I immediately let go of the rope and spread my arms out in victory...as I yelled "I did it!" 

 And he brought the boat back around and I did it again. and again.  

We've had 13 summers with our boat and I've skied every summer since! I've even mastered being able to go in and out of the wake.  I'm certainly no pro, but I'm thankful for that determination I had one summer, because I've enjoyed the sweet benefits of all that hard work for many years since.  

I've been thinking about that summer a lot this past week, because I'm kinda discouraged in my current dreams in which it feels like I'm attempting the impossible. And I'm wondering if they ever will really happen.  But when I think back to that summer learning to ski, I'm reminded that...

• It didn't happen right away. It took persistence  Weekend after weekend.  I had to keep working towards the dream.  I had to set time aside to work on it. 

• And when I did take the time, I had to block out the rest of the world and focus on the dream. 

• I had to rest in between disappointment and frustration, in order to be re-energized to keep going for it. 

• And my biggest encourager (my husband!), who never stopped believing I could do it...is still by me today, encouraging me to go for it! I love sharing life with him! 

Again, it's Tuesday, and I'm linking up with Holley Gerth about dreaming God-Sized Dreams!