This space has been in the making for a long time. It’s been curated and developed through the changing of seasons; the cold ones, the warm ones, and in-betweens. Stories of hope, failure, heart break, adventure and precious moments are written in this space that have brought me laughter, tears, and wonder in my own journey. A space where I get to share these stories with you and take you behind the scene.

My journey as a dreamers started when I was nine years old, when my parents left their home in Indonesia and came to America with their four little children to start a restaurant business. They left behind their comfortable life to pursue their dreams and greater opportunities for our family’s future, they were dreamers and we tagged along. But when things didn’t go as planned, my parents did what was best to keep our family together, even if it meant living in the shadow.

I’ve always considered myself a dreamer. My parents tell me I have great imagination and high enthusiast in sharing about I want to do in life. The dictionary describes it as a person who dreams, and many people define it as a person whose ideas or projects are considered audacious or highly speculative; a visionary. But there is another meaning that’s dear to me.

Today, that makes me a recipient of DACA, a government program that offers protection to undocumented people who were brought to the US as children. There are 800,000 of us, and we are known as “dreamers.” My heart still ache as I re-read those words. Even after all these years.

Some days I have mixed emotions about what this means for me. Some days I’m still confused at my parents’ decisions, frustrated at the government, and just upset at the whole situation. But slowly in light of it all, I’ve discovered the truth and the reason for my parents’ decision to stay. I learned to respect their decision.

Hope has a way of developing an inner ability to see past our current circumstances. In miracle after miracle, I’ve witnessed old dreams come to pass and have experienced moments that help me envision new dreams for the future. And through it all, I realized I am first a daughter of the living God before anything else. I am first a citizen of heaven before I am a dreamer in this land. And even with some voices still reminding me of what I’m not, I’m fully living with so many more dreams still alive in me.

As an artist and an entrepreneur, to dream means taking an intentional step toward the “what if.” It’s the space where ideas are born with endless possibilities and without having any chance of failure. Dreaming is the threshold in preparation of laying the foundation before building. Nothing can go wrong in dreaming, yet sometimes we don’t do it because of the reality of limitation and fear. With every restriction I have as a dreamer, I’ve learned to walk in liberty and freedom as a citizen of heaven. The vision in the night that has kept me believing and moving, has become more clear.

The dreamer space is simply a journal and a creative space for the dreamer in me to keep moving. A space where I can express my pioneer heart, complex mind, and restless spirit… knowing I am not alone. In sharing this space, I hope to one day sit across the table from you over ice cream or dinner to hear your dreamer story. Maybe one day you’ll let me share it here. This space is for you. If someone on the other side of this screen is thinking or relating to these stories, know that we’re all still figuring it out. Unfortunately, but graciously.

Happy reading and keep dreaming.