Dreams happen at night.

In the dark, in our minds, something happens.

We see things we don’t understand, things we often don’t remember, things that wake us from sleep wondering what and why.

Joseph didn’t have the dream.

Pharaoh did, two of them.

Joseph of the many-colored coat had been sold by his jealous brothers into slavery in Egypt. In prison for something he did not do, things were not going well for Joseph. One night, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a dream. Seven fat cows waded out of the Nile River, followed by seven scrawny cows. The scrawny cows devoured the fat ones. Pharaoh woke, fell back to sleep and had another dream. Seven fat ears of grain grew on a stalk, behind them sprouted seven shriveled ears. The shriveled ears swallowed up the fat ones. Pharaoh woke and sought answers, but none of the king’s counselors could explain the meaning of the dreams. Joseph could and was summoned from his prison to do just that, which he did. In each dream, the seven fat were seven years of bountiful harvests. The seven thin were seven years of severe famine. Pharaoh was being doubly forewarned to plan ahead to save his people. To do this, Pharaoh needed a wise man to manage the good years before the bad times arrived and took their toll. Pharaoh was wise and he saw the man for the job. He put Joseph in charge of everything, for the good of everyone.

Dreams can be shared for the good of others.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, Mr. King shared his dream.

“I have a dream.

“I have a dream that all men are created equal.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

“I have a dream that one day little black boys and blacks girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

“I have a dream today. This is our hope. Let freedom ring.”

That is a wonderful dream, the dream of many, of many today in many parts of our world.

My granddaughters shared their dreams with me. I listened and we talked, and in their eyes I could see my listening and our talk was important to them.

Dreams are to be shared.

Children are meant to dream.

And we are all children.

It is that which we all share.

Joseph was different, very different.

Pharaoh did not look to the color of Joseph’s skin.

Pharaoh looked deeper, to the content of Joseph’s character.

I think Pharaoh saw the child in both their eyes, heard the voice of a fiery black preacher three thousand years in the future, laughed, removed the king’s signet ring of authority from his finger, handed it to Joseph, and reached down to take the hands of the young prince and princess beside the throne.

He had a dream.

Grandpa Jim