I am going to start by saying, “It has been a while!!!”

It has been a long while, to be exact, since I have had a “bad” dream that included the house I grew up in. I do not know if I had shared any of those dreams here to this platform. Normally, when I have dreams that I can remember, I write them down in notebooks. I have several random notebooks that holds a dream that I had that bothered my spirit. Recently, (in 2023), I have began sharing those dreams here in a category that I call Deams and Visions.

Why do I call these dreams ‘Dreamweaver’? I don’t know. It was a title that I called it a long time ago when I first began to record my dreams. I hear The Monkees singing “Day dream believer (or weaver, which is what I assumed he was saying) O what can it mean…” That’s all I hear over and over of that song…

As for right now, I need to share the dream that awakened me a little less than an hour ago at about 10:26pm on 11-16-2023.

First, let me say, that my alarm was set to wake me up at 9:30pm because I had some recording to do in the studio for an audio book. I did not hear my alarm go off. (I literally just realized that this was because my volume was turned down on my phone. SMH, I did that earlier when I was on my phone while watching Star Trek with my Trekkie husband. I turned the volume down so that nothing that came up on my phone, if it had sound, would interrupt the movie.)

So, now that I know why my alarm didn’t sound, let me share this crazy dream:

Ok, I think I am going to have a lot of openings as I try to tell this because again I want to use the statement (“First, let me say…”). [giggling].

First, let me say, I was raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Yet, in my dream, initially the outside of the house had a Louisiana feel to it, and I was clueless that in the process of stepping inside of the house that I would be transported through space and time back to a home that I actually did grow up in.

What is a “Louisiana feel”? No disrespect intended as I make this next statement because it relates to the atmosphere literally, and not to the area. What I was feeling about the atmosphere was Bayou like or “swampish”.

I did not see a neighborhood in my dream. I did not see a city in my dream. Or wait…

Now I remember more.

I was initially at some outside type of market. It was a grocery store without walls.

Things flipped so much without my even knowing it though, the more that I remember it, I can see it now.

Flipped, how? One minute I was grown and my husband was present, and the next minute I was young and my step father was present.

Is my husband anything like my step father? I do not think so. I really would not know. I can’t really say that I know my step father except that he has strong hands, and that my husband does have – strong hands.

What does that mean? I am not sure, but as I endeavor to record this dream, and I realize that I am being reminded of it now, there are certain things that are standing out to me in my remembrance, and I just do not know why one minute I saw my husband, and the next minute I saw my step father.

So back to the dream:

I remember being in this outdoor market/grocery store. I was over by the part that had several different flowers – Big ones, Little ones, White ones, and flowers of different colors and different exotic styles.

I saw this lady over by the flowers with two of her granddaughters. The lady looked familiar, like one of my original book clients. As I am admiring the flowers so was she and her granddaughters. They were cute and curious. I was drawn to the more reserved one for some reason. She wanted a flower and I was determined to get it for her. (It had to be in my budget though.) This is the part of my dream where I am reminded of the ridiculous prices of the flowers. Who is going to pay $30+ for a single flower? Okay, some might but I am not in that number.

I looked and looked among the flowers for a white flower that was in my budget because I had to get several for this little girl who rode around the store with her grandma. She was seated in the toddler area of the shopping cart. (She seemed older than the age required to even fit ones legs through that area of a metal shopping cart.)

Anyway…

I got her the flowers and the dream progresses to move me away from the flowers and into the open grocery store area. I think it was in this next area that I begin to flip in age from adult to child without even knowing this was happening. I remember being in the store with my husband because he was looking for something that he completely overlooked in the cheese area of the display and I remember finding it and giving it to him which is how I looked up at him. Then we saw someone that we both knew. We saw and spoke to a Bishop who lives in another state that we are not close friends with to even have communications with.

(It used to be, when I served as Church Administrator, that I would interact with this now Bishop to invite him to speak at the church I attended. So why he would be in my dream now? It was beyond my understanding.) We saw him. We spoke. He went his way and I went mine. Scene changes.

There is some type of festival going on. The festival reminds me of Louisiana. Why? I don’t know. Why I am reminded of the Mardi Gras celebration? I don’t know. I don’t know anything about the Mardi Gras celebration except that there are multiple colored beaded necklaces everywhere. I did not see that in my dream. What I saw that makes me call it a festival was people were everywhere in the streets celebrating. What they were celebrating I honestly don’t know. I didn’t see that part.

I saw people lined along the street sidewalks as if a parade was getting ready to come through. It was a lot of people.

I felt myself coming around this corner, in the middle of the street, and I was dancing as if I was the one in the parade or beginning it (I don’t know), but it was an out of body experience because as I felt as if I was the one dancing as if in a modeling show when one person comes out at a time. It was an out of body experience in that while I felt as if I was the one dancing because I was looking through this individuals eyes, I then was separated from this individual wherein I was no longer in the dream but watching it as if on a television, and I was now looking at an older gray haired woman dancing. What stood out to me was her perceived age.

Ok, now let me interject here that I know where that part of the dream came from. I am led to feel that my mind was processing information that I had seen earlier. (This part is not a dream, but really happened early this morning before I went to sleep).

There was a skate party. It was not your usual skating rink because in the video it showed people entering and going to tables that was set up on the rink like floor. It was like an event center where a party was taking place and the guests, who were fabulously dresses (not like for your average skating rink) were skating. On the floor was older people (no children were present) and they were dressed in gowns and they seemed to be color coded as if this was a scheduled or planned party and they knew they would be skating.

What I saw was an older woman, looked to be in her 70s or 80s, and she has on roller skates and she was dancing on the roller skates while skating backwards. Someone was video taping her because she was doing all of her moves for the camera. She is the one that was dancing in my dream.

Next thing I knew, there was a crowd of people in front of me as I am now in the audience so I saw none of who was going by. Directly in front of me was one of my sons and his wife. So I remember interacting with them letting them know I was behind them.

Remember, I am behind everyone so I didn’t really see the faces of anyone at this time. So how did I end up on the front porch of a house I don’t know? Now the reason I say that this had a Louisiana feel to me is because of the front porch. It was big and there was some stuffed animals on it. Or at least I thought it was stuffed.

I saw the stuffed crocodile/alligator? OK it was an alligator and the reason I know is because I touched this thing in the latter part of my dream that I am telling you of. This means I got a good look at it (when I was not running to get away from it).

So anyway, I am on the front porch of this house that I do not recognize from anything. I don’t even remember what I was doing on the front porch though I kind of feel like I was pushed onto it from the back of the crowd which no longer existed at this point. I think that I went up onto the porch so that I could see because everyone else was taller than me. (What is the name of the guy who climbed the tree so that he could see Jesus because he couldn’t see from standing in the crowd of people due to his being a short man?)

I am 5’3″ which is considered short in stature. So, if I remember correctly I went up on the porch so that I could see the parade that was going past. When I went onto the porch, I no longer saw people on a sidewalk, or any festivities. I was now paying attention to what was on the porch and that it was an unusually bright sunny day. Not overcast at all.

Was my husband present on the porch with me. I don’t remember, though I do know that there was definitely someone else on that porch – a couple of somebodies. When did my step father get there? I don’t remember. I just remember my step father being on the phone, and I remember that I kept looking behind me at the other area of the porch where this big long red clay looking alligator was (as if) hanging. Was it on a ledge? Was it on a table? Was it hanging from ropes?

I don’t remember. I just remember that it was the color of red clay and it didn’t look real so I didn’t think nothing of it when I first saw it. But something changed. Something happened.

What?

It sounded and felt as if something fell and that made me look over to the red clay alligator. It still didn’t look real. But I kept looking at it. Then, I was it when it fell, as if what was holding it up in the air broke. It still didn’t look real to me.

Wait a minute? Did it move? Wait another minute? Did I hear or feel it fall before I saw it falling? Was I seeing things before it happened??? All I know is I saw that thing come to life and move. It was no longer red clay, but it was again its original ugly army greenish grey color.

[Kick in the squeamish me.] I was making a fuss over there being a live alligator on the front porch, and whomever that was that was on the phone went inside the house as if I was annoying them with my screams and crazy crazed person antics. (Yes, I was over the top as I would be in that situation)

Again, as I think back, I do remember seeing a video on YouTube of a man who cares for alligators for real. He had to drain the pool area where his alligator was. So, he was stepping over this humongous alligator who was on this ledge by where the cord and the electrical plug was.

So I found the YouTube video of what I saw and the guy in this video shares a clip of what I saw and apparently what I originally saw was a Facebook video. But you can see it here.

I watched the man plug in the cord and get out of there before the alligator began to move and go into the pool that was in the process of being drained so that it could be cleaned. This was a professional doing this and I guess I incorporated this alligator which I saw early early in the morning into my dream many hours later. (I don’t know why)

However, this stupid alligator begins coming after me.

Now let me add…

In my day, my young stupid days, I have seen enough stupid movies where a person trying to run away from something scary runs and traps themselves in a room in a house. “STUPID! Now you are trapped!”

I did that stupid move in my dream. UGH!

Instead of running off the porch and into the street and far far away from that foolishness, why did I back myself into the house. WHY!!!??? (Dumb)

I am in the house and the alligator is on the outside. I should have been safe, right? How does the alligator get inside the house? How does it open the door to get inside the house? I have no idea but it is now inside the house.

All I know is that now I am inside the house and I running in it trying to get away from the alligator and it is as if I now know this house which from the outside looks nothing like any of the houses I might know; and yet…

The house that I am in is now the house that I grew up in as a child in Chicago Illinois. I realized I was in my childhood home from the kitchen. I never went in through the front door. I was already in the house from the kitchen which is in the middle of the house.

Someone please wake me up from this foolishness. But the dream continues with me still running and screaming.

So, I went from Louisiana to Chicago in a blink, somehow coming in from the back of the house (not the front door). I don’t know how. I run from the kitchen, through the dining room to the living room, and instead of my running out the front door to get away, tell me why do I run up the stairs to where the bedrooms were to my old bedroom.

I think I was trying to run to where a phone was so that I could get help.

Vaguely, I remember running up the stairs and hearing my step father on the phone. I was trying to tell him that an alligator was in the house and that he needed to call animal control. He paid me no attention and he walked out of the bathroom, but he walked into my bedroom on the phone.

Was he there at first? No. Was he trying to get away from the alligator himself? I don’t know. I don’t remember. I know that he didn’t hang up that stupid phone from his call to call animal control as I yelled.

However it was, we were now both trapped in my brightly lit bedroom with me screaming like a maniac and trying to push the door closed as this super huge alligator was now trying to get in. He didn’t even have the decency to help me keep the door closed shut. WHO WAS HE ENGROSSED IN CONVERSATION WITH ON THE PHONE?

Like, I am still amazed that this dumb alligator went from the front porch of whatever this house was that led to the back of the house that I grew up in, and it literally followed me around the house: from the kitchen, through the dining room, through the living room, up the stairs, and now it was pressing it’s U shaped nose trying to get into my bedroom.

I am also amazed that I even dreamed about an alligator chasing me. Like who does that???? Ugh!

So, now I am pushing everything I have up against to door to try to keep this animal with the super human strength from getting in. How is it pushing back heavily and opening the door that should have been closed tight. I am wearing myself out screaming.

Somehow, I had backed myself into a corner again because I was trying to push the door closed (with no help from my step father who was also in the room); and this monster alligator (wait did it grow in size) was on the other side pushing the door opened and it got its nose and head in. How is that possible?

It was as if it could smell me because it’s head and big nose looked around the door at me. [POV zoom in of me screaming.] It was so close up on me that I could feel the air of its hot stinky breath.

and I screamed out, “I CAN’T DO THIS NO MORE!!!”

No sooner than I said that, this super crazy strength came upon me (call it adrenaline because I was trapped with no where to go) and I heard myself quickly respond to what I initially said with,

“NO, I CAN DO THIS! I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!!!”

and I threw something that looked like a towel, or a pillowcase, over the snout of that alligator and I pushed it with its head up as it subduing it while at the same time hearing as if in the air, clear as day, a deep male voice say,

“THAT’S MY GIRL”

I had no time to process what I had heard after saying that I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I only had time to process the shape of the gators snout so that I would know that I knew what it was.

I also processed that I was no longer in the corner.

But I was not out the house yet.

I was up close on this creepy looking thing

and I woke up with a start asking two questions

1. what just happened and
2. what time is it

I found my phone, and it was 10:36p, so I jumped up because I was late for my recording session at 10p. (This is not a dream. This really happened.)

I got up, made the phone call and told my story of the dream and how it has been a long time since I have dreamed about the house I grew up in.

I shared how in the past whenever I would find myself in the house I grew up in, in a dream, that I would come under some type of demonic attack where I was literally fighting for my life. Those dreams ended when my mom died in 2018. So, why am I having them again. This time, it was not a demon I was running from, or fighting. This time it was an alligator. Really?!

I literally have no idea what this means.

But what I do know is that when I have these dreams that bother me, or that really impress upon me, and I remember them in such great detail, I know that I am to write them down.

Write the vision make it plain (Habakkuk 2:2-3). I know that the revealer of dreams is God. So, I know that when it is time for me to know and understand what I dreamed HE will show me and teach me. My biggest deal was to record all that I remembered from this experience and I have now done that.

What are my takeaways from the dream? Well, first it is that I heard a praise, as if from heaven, (because I am very clear that it was not the voice of the person who was on the phone the entire time and not helping by calling animal control) when I didn’t give into the fear but I stood up and pushed back. That thing could have killed me because of how close it was; but the way I covered its mouth and pushed its head up from under its mouth (Its a wonder I didn’t break its neck) but it didn’t snap at me. It happened so quick after I said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. It was as if immediately I heard, “That’s my girl”, and it was after that when I pushed it’s head straight up and got myself out of that corner where I was entrapped only to wake up…

I’m so glad I woke up.

Sometimes I wonder about alternate realities and about whether there are forms of myself that die in these alternate realities. My dreams be just that real. Yet, it’s not something that I spend much time thinking about. I just be glad to be awake. But now I find myself wondering, what did that alligator represent? What am I being warned of? Whatever it was, even though I spent the major part of the dream screaming and being grossed out, I was empowered when I remembered that the anointing of the Anointed One is in me.

I hope that this was the lesson that I needed to learn.

No matter what I face in life. No matter how scary it may seem. I can handle it and survive it because

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I remember early today saying that this month of Kislev (which we are in, on the Hebraic calendar) is about going to deeper levels of trusting and resting in God, and that I would learn new battle strategies this month.

Wait! Is that was this crazy dream was about?!?

I saw. I screamed (non stop). I ran. Yet, though I spoke of quitting, I rose up and fought. “And Still I Rise” (Thanks Maya Angelou) and I heard a praise, “That’s my girl”

(head in my hands, eyes closed, I giggle as I say, “I’m so over this” with the realization that this dream was a simulation, and I passed it the minute I stood up to fight back.)

I can let this dream go now.

I’m so glad I am awake now LOL.