One of my good friends titled it that: Summer of Dreams. We are at this fun place in our lives where we have some freedom, maybe a few extra dollars, hopes, goals and well, dreams. So we bought season passes to the theme park, we spent a weekend in Steamboat, and are doing our best to dance our way through each day.

The reality of a “Summer of Dreams” is that it requires an insanely busy schedule. I have not had a free night in the past two weeks, and I just realized there really is no end in sight.

So I took just one short moment to think about this summer, and really only this past week – to realize what really makes it a summer of dreams. And what I realized is that in reality, it is a good start to a life of dreams; a life lived fully and JOYfully.

What it comes down to is that for me, #summerofdreams is really all about people. I haven’t filled my nights for the past weeks with chores, errands, or tasks. It has been with people. Brave people, hurting people, celebrating people, suffering people. Because for me, a dream-summer and a dream-life are all about bringing people together and making earth look just a bit more like Heaven.

Bob Goff says, “Every time we see people as ordinary, we turn the wine back into water.”

The Lord spoke so clearly in the things that made me busy this week; He showed me what I love about spending time with people is the chance to remind them of their worth, their value, their purpose. And He gently said, “That is why I sent Him. That is why Jesus died – He died because you matter. Because you ALL matter. The Gospel is so you know that every life matters. He gave His life so you all could experience yours, to the full.”

So my summer of dreams just in the past week has consisted of this:

• Spending a weekend with a high school soccer team as a chaperone. Listening and hearing their hearts and stories and the things that have shaped them, which profoundly transformed me. And I found myself wanting nothing more than to shout at the top of my lungs (and kind of did a little bit), “YOU MATTER! Your story matters, your struggles are valid, you have worth beyond anything you can imagine!”

[All I can say to everyone who is older than high school age is, it does the soul good to spend time with youngins. Don’t judge them so quickly.]

• Eating, laughing, crying, and praying with a dear friend and her mom who is battling cancer. Hearing her talk about finding God in the middle of extreme pain and suffering. To hear someone say, “He has been faithful in the suffering before, and so I walk forward knowing He will be faithful again” – I mean, woah.

• Seeing an amazing concert at an amazing venue with so many beautiful friends. Looking out at the mountains and the city skyline and the Colorado sky and knowing we are so small, yet we matter to Him so much.

• Celebrating birthdays galore – affirming the beauty of precious lives, and throwing a birthday party for one of my dearest friends the only way we should ever celebrate: cupcakes, champagne, and sparklers. Once again, reminding those around us – You matter. Your life is worth celebrating.

I share this because, this is what it is all about friends: in the messy, the mundane, and the miraculous – you matter. A life of dreams is all about believing you matter and living that way, and giving others the freedom to do the same.

May you never believe otherwise, may you rest in the confidence that you have value, may God constantly remind you and help you remind others that every life matters.

Dream big,

Kal.