My daughter Aimee’s dream of riding The Teacups at Disney World was big, especially for a five-year old. All that was needed to fulfill her dream was a mother who was willing to provide her time, use of a credit card, a ride from Central Illinois to Central Florida and, of course, a God who provided for her mother.

Her first teacup ride became all about capturing the perfect photo. Her second teacup ride was to be simply for fun, but as it turned out, her idea of fun was to be in control of the wheel. Aimee was barely tall enough to keep her bottom in the seat and hold the wheel. Her skinny little arms could not cause the teacup to spin. She cried.

“One more ride Aimee. Let me pick the teacup this time. I’ll find one that you can spin.”

Her older brother, Rob, had bigger rides in mind, but whenever one of his sisters cried, he folded. While we waited in line, listening to the maddening music for the third time, Rob gave Paula (the often forgotten middle child) and me a wink and a nod. We knew he had a plan.

Aimee was still wiping tears. It’s a hard thing – finding out your dream was not worth the time spent dreaming.

Rob tested several teapots before deciding.

“This is it. This one has been oiled recently. Give it a try, Aimee. Make sure you can turn the wheel?”

Aimee grabbed the wheel and the teacup turned with little effort on her part. She used the hem of her shirt to wipe away her last tear.

The platform began to turn. Our teacup began to spin. Slowly at first. The obnoxious music seemed to get louder, and our teacup began to spin faster. Our hair blew in our faces. Paula raised her hands and her body swayed with each revolution. Aimee did have biceps and they were bulging.

Rob pressed one hand to his abdomen and moaned – loud enough that neighboring teacups could hear. His other hand remained hidden on the bottom side of the wheel.

“You can slow down now, Aimee. My stomach is feeling funny.”

“Noooo! This is too much fun!”

Paula, now with only one hand in the air, called out, “Faster!”

Aimee was working every muscle in her body, laughing and giving us the ride of her life. None of us wanted it to stop. The music, maybe. The spinning and Aimee’s thrill, no.

“We went faster than any of the other teacups, didn’t we Mom?”

Aimee’s feet couldn’t take her in a straight line, but she was smiling.

“Yes we did. We sure did.”

I decided Rob would be the one to choose our next ride, and promised we would return, at the end of the day, for one more exciting ride on The Teacups.

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:8-11
Reflection:
1. Have you ever dreamed a dream that turned out not to be worth dreaming?
2. Is there someone you can thank for giving one of your dreams a helping hand?
3. Have you set a new goal or dreamed a new dream lately?

Lord, I want to be obedient, even in my dreams and aspirations. Show me where my dreams are childish or selfish. Point me in the direction where I can show charity and be part of fulfilling another person’s dream today. Amen.