dream
drēm/
noun
noun: dream; plural noun: dreams
1.
a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
verb
verb: dream; 3rd person present: dreams; past tense: dreamed; past participle: dreamed; past tense: dreamt; past participle: dreamt; gerund or present participle: dreaming
1.experience dreams during sleep.
2.contemplate the possibility of doing something or that something might be the case.
I go to bed no later than 9 PM on weekdays. Also known as “weak days”. Not because I am tired, necessarily. But If I go to bed any later, I will fall asleep almost instantly, and deeply. The hour spent drifting off to sleep is filled with dreams, my favorite being the sort that surprise you. That space between thinking about your day and when your mind takes control...you know it, right? Just the other night, I was thinking of a kind gentleman that I’ve known for years. It was a lovely train of thought that made me smile. That smile echoed through my whole body, and I started to truly rest. And right at that moment, I dreamt that the man who shall remain unnamed had flowers for toes. When my mind creates such lovely and surprising images, I can’t help but crave for more.
Dreaming is a special talent of mine that has led me to wonderful and exciting places, disappointment and grief, and to unhealthy places. Since childhood, dreams of traveling to far away lands, and being swept away by some princely figure filled my nights, days, and mornings. I would wake up immediately wishing I could go back to sleep to carry on what I was doing in my preferred world that existed only in my mind. Life was never good enough outside of it. Even in adulthood; my tired soul sleeps under trees and daydreams about having enough land to grow flowers, keep bees, and host dinners made from my garden. I’ve worked hard kept my dreams smaller these days, and fewer. I've checked boxes and said “thanks be” to God daily for the sweet mundane and kind simplicity that has come to my attention. Rhythm and order have soothed my dreamy soul, and I’ve found myself in want of few things. The Colorado Rockies sing my heart song, the dry air flows in, and flows out echoing it back.
….And then, the Swiss Alps demanded to join in, with a melody unrelenting and kind.
It was a Thursday morning, in the late spring days full of pollen, blossoms and wind. Colorado reminded me of its ferocious transition into summer. I arrived at work at 5:30 AM, and feeling oddly productive, had all of my work done by 9. On the day this wonderful company offered me the job, it was suggested to me that a book should always be near, as there are slow days that may leave one taskless. No complaints here, not a one. Reading is my solace, my happy place, my inspiration. Here is a link of some of my current favorites:
.https://missmoriahgrace.wixsite.com/moriahgrace/blog/january-august-2018-favorite-reads
On this particular day, my novel of choice for the week made me a little anxious and existential in thinking, so I thought maybe I’d take a wee break for 24 hours. So in lieu of reading, I joined the hyper-advertised, alluring Ancestry.com (I have not been sponsored) for their 30 day free-trial, and got crackalackin’ on my family tree. I started with my moms side, and hit a large wall, or ocean, of barriers as I realized that my grandfathers place of origin (Cape Verde) may be a harder shell to crack than the more approachable nature of my fathers side - Europe. So I moved on, and followed the patriarchal line of my father. Obrecht was said to be of Swiss origin, though taking into account the patriotic nature of that side of my family, the chattering rarely develops past the, “I’m glad they became Americans,” conversation stopper. Gratitude should be said here, for the resilient characters that make up my family. Homesteading, hard-working folk, who have stayed true to their roots. That said, I am a curious one with ample amounts of time on her hands, and am physically incapable of resisting a free offer.
I ventured on with my father, born in the year of 1961 to the state of New York. Then, my grandfather, born 1933 to Arapahoe County right here in Colorado. His father, Evan Earl was born in 1910, also in Colorado. Now, considering the transient nature of this here colorful state, I must say this did me proud. We roughed it out here, and made this city a metropolis for all of the unwanted Texans and Californians (I apologize for the slanderous nature there, but please realize I have an obligation to assume all bad drivers are Californian, and all campsites are overrun by Texans). Little green leaves popped up all over the few names and birthdates I provided for the Obrecht lineage...hints! WWII draft cards, photos, census records, and marriage records galore. Mere here-say, and folklore stories became reality as my Cape-Verdean eyes beheld the faces of my ancestors.
Johannes Obrecht, born 1872 in Chur, Graubunden, Switzerland has made his way into the branches of the digital tree I was growing. With eyes piercing, and cheekbones sharp, just like my Uncle Steve’s, I smiled to myself as I saw the quintessential “Obrecht” look I see in my dad and grandpa. I’ve learned to realize that it is an incredible honor to resemble family, even if only a little. To say, “I have my mom’s smile, and my dads cheekbones,”...it saddens me that I, or anyone would ever scoff at such a kindred thought.
You can thank modern technology for what’s to follow, but let me throw out another “thanks be” to God for the fact that I somehow powered through multiple presidential elections without deleting Facebook. There’s that Obrecht resilience for you, I guess. Johannes Obrecht’s father was Georg Obrecht. He was born to a small village in the Graubunden canton of Switzerland, Jenins. It is settled in the Swiss Alps, just about 30 minutes away from Liechtenstein. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has kept Google maps as a security blanket - being that you can take a digital stroll through nearly any town, city, or village at the click of a *free* button. So, I did just that. Jenins is a small and lovely town, with flower boxes on every window-sill, curvy and narrow streets that follow the ebb and flow of the Swiss Alp’s valleys just below them. Curiosity did it’s usual dance, and welled up in me an itch for deeper knowledge.
Google search: Jenins, Graubunden, Switzerland Obrecht
Search Results: Obrecht Weine
Curious...Weine...I don’t speak fluent German, but I know the word, “wine” in a few languages. One must always be prepared, right? I followed the website, and learned a little bit about this winery. My work day came to a sudden halt, and I packed up as usual. I saved documents, locked up my laptop, said my farewells, and snagged a Kirkland peanut butter cup from the candy jar. Little did I know what was in store for the following day.
I can’t speak well to what I was thinking on that Thursday afternoon. Maybe I was so skeptical of my findings that I couldn’t get excited; but I went to bed that night dreaming about my camping trip instead of what may unfold on Ancenstry.com. I realize now that it had to be that way, because not even a full-time dreamer like me could conjure up what I am about to say.
The next day was warm and sticky-unusual for Denver. I got to work, and did more detailed and task-oriented side jobs to ensure a restful weekend. I had written a sticky note that read, “Email Winery” and stuck it to the inside screen of my laptop the day before. I read it, and obeyed accordingly. At this point in my life, I’ve decided to adopt my mothers way of life being, “They can always say no…” as my own. So, utilizing the translation feature on Google, and my most human voice, I sent the following email:
Guten Tag,
Mein Name ist Moriah Grace Obrecht. Ich war in der Familie Obrecht in Denver, Colorado in 1993 geboren. Ich habe recherchiert und versucht herauszufinden, woher Sie kommen. Mein dritter Urgroßvater wurde in Jenins, Graubünden, Schweiz am 19. Dezember geboren 1835 und heiratete Susien Riederer in Maienfeld am 6. März (mein Geburtstag!) 1859. Sie hatten eine Menge Kinder, dann zog nach Amerika in etwa 1888. Ich war neugierig zu sehen, die Stadt George in geboren wurde, so dass ich googeln, und fand deinen Weinberg, und fast geweint. Ich frage mich, ist das die gleiche Familie? Ich hatte gehofft, du könntest helfen. George hatte einen Vater namens Christian, und seine Geschwister Namen sind (vielleicht) Christian, Verena, Heena und Ursina. Wenn es ist, oder auch wenn es nicht, würde ich gerne von Ihnen hören und hören Sie Ihre Geschichte. Es war eine interessante Reise so weit! Es tut mir leid, wenn diese Übersetzung nicht gut ist, benutzte ich Google. :)
Segen aus Denver, Colorado,
Moriah Grace Obrecht
In a quick English synopsis, I gave them a small introduction, a break-down of my family tree, and asked if they happened to have any relation to said members. Not two hours later, I received a message request from a fella with the last name Obrecht. A kind bunch of sentences in broken English with a file attachment screamed for my immediate attention. I opened the attachment, and lo and behold....a family tree for the Obrecht family. Dating back to 1616, everyone was accounted for. I found good ol’ Johannes, and his tree stops with “Kinder En USA”. That’s me. We are related.
