I was at a gathering of grandmothers. We were at Florida State University and the football players were our grandsons. They were also at the gathering all sitting in this round auditorium. We did not know exactly why we were there but we were preparing to speak.

I looked around and realized that I was the speaker. I thought an elder woman should do this and told her so but she handed me the "gavel" to start the meeting, I was thoroughly disgusted with the gavel. It was a silly child's wand with a heart and streamers. The heart was clear and held bee pollen, flower petals, and glitter. EEEeeew. Not my type of gavel at all. I waved this ridiculous thing and no one stopped their chatter.

It irritated me that I was even given this to start a meeting and I again turned to the elder woman. She nodded once more and I stood up and shouted, "All of you shut up and listen!" which they did.

I started telling them that we could not win this game with the way we were doing things. I began lecturing them about plastic bottles, mining, disposable diapers, all things I considered evil. As I spoke I could feel their eyes, so very many, on me and realized I did not know enough about these things to even begin to make sense. They were dumbfounded and trying to listen and yet I had nothing more to say other than "you shouldn't be using these things and you need to listen."

I knew they could learn nothing from me yet and I stopped talking. I was at the point of realizing how much confusion I caused with this approach when I woke up.

Questions for discussion, writing:

What does this dream say about the work of a guardian of future generations?

The dreamer doesn’t know why the grandmothers are at this gathering. Why do you think they are? How do they exercise leadership? Do you know elders who are like these grandmothers? Who are the football players?

What does this dream say about the difficulty of getting people’s attention? Have you experienced this?

The dreamer speaks well until she begins to doubt her knowledge and authority. Have you ever experienced this? How do you overcome it? How do you think guardians need to prepare for being handed the gavel (or wand)?

The dreamer happens to be a football fan. What might the football setting say to the rest of us?

R.H., N.M.