A few weeks ago I mentioned the Big Dream Gathering. Several of you have asked for a followup on the event. I wasn't able to attend, so I asked Dr. Ron Rainwater, a professor at Hardin-Simmons University who was able to attend to give a run-down of the event.

Big Dream Gathering first came to my attention through a January article in the Abilene Reporter News. My wife and I discussed the possibility of attending a regional Big Dreamers gathering in San Angelo on March 5. It was sponsored by the Texas Midwest Community Network and took place at the McNeese Convention Center.

We registered by completing an envelope addressed to ourselves. When we turned in our envelope we were assigned a number. This part of the registration was to protect the identity of each participating dreamer.

After the simple (no charge) registration process we were handed a dreamers sheet to complete which asked for 3 specific areas of information.

• Describe one of your BIG dreams…
• List some things you already have in place for this dream.
• List some things you still need for this dream.

The final space said This space is for other BIG dreamers to leave comments.

Our completed form was posted on the Business wall. Categories of dreams were located on different walls in the room. Categories consisted of education, health and fitness, music and entertainment, and more. Those in attendance went from wall to wall recording their suggestions or offering help on individual dream forms.

We stayed for just over an hour and observed about 200 people in attendance; a diverse group of dreamers; old, young, multiple ethnic groups, various socio-economic levels, people from small town, large towns. An excellent cross-section of our population was represented, sharing a common energy and excitement in the hope of fulfilling their dream.

A few days ago, just 2 weeks after the gathering we received our Big Dream sheet in the same envelope we had addressed at the gathering. There were four helpful comments/suggestions, with a couple of phone numbers of people who might be able to help with our dream.

The BDG was informative, well organized, and impressively supported by corporate sponsors and professional groups. Before leaving we met the founder, Mitch Matthews. He left us with a positive image and encouraged us to participate in the Abilene Big Dream Gathering scheduled for October of this year. We look forward to pursuing our dream further with BDG and others who dare to follow their dreams.

Thanks again Ron for the follow up. The Big Dream Gathering will be coming to Abilene in October, more info to come in the future. Did you attend also? What was your Big Dream Gathering experience like?