Where do dreams come from?

   Last Monday my brother slaughtered two milk cows. Friday evening he called and asked if I wanted some hamburger, then I should come Saturday, help them cut the meat and take some burger along home. Sure, no problem.
   That night I had a dream with he and his son in it. Now when writing Alyssa's Story, this brother was the real life person I had in my mind whenever I wrote about Harvey, primarily because my brother lives on the farm I used as the one in the book. Similarly, Harvey's son Larry represented my nephew, so I will use their fictional characters names as I relay this dream, although in the dream I was actually thinking of their real names. The dream:
   We just started hunting one afternoon. Harvey was walking toward the woods across the flat top of the field behind the spring that I often mentioned in the book (where Larry, Alyssa, and her Dad trapped the geese). Larry and I were walking up a small swale in the field toward the same woods. I was lagging behind, having stopped for a few moments. I knew some of our relatives where taking up hunting posts on the next farm up the valley (Butch and Clare's in the story). I had yelled to Harvey if it was a good idea if I walk through a couple of the small patches of timber we were by-passing. He had answered not to; they had been done yesterday.
   As I resumed my trek, a lightning storm developed. It was broad daylight with not heavy clouds at all and it was not raining. But the lightning itself was something else. It was not the Z-shaped bolts that you see sometimes that strike the ground, but looked bushy, like the roots of some weeds when you pull them from the ground. The bolts were numerous, continuous, fine in diameter, and stretched from high in the heavens toward the Earth. I remembered some safety lessons I had heard about lightning and what one should do in such a storm as it neared. I took my rifle off my shoulder, held it below my waist, and looked around for a low spot to lie down in. But first, I thought I should warn Harvey and Larry.
   Before I got the chance though, a bright, bluish-white, sparkling thunderbolt streaked from my right, across the field toward the woods where my kin were headed. It did not strike down, nor horizontally, but crossed the field at about a 30 degree angle and struck the trees right where the men had arrived. As I started to run I yelled "Help, Help!" several times, in spite of knowing well the others were far too far way to hear me. And I forgot my two-way radio, I thought. What a time to not have it.
   I reached Larry first. He was covered with loose limbs and leaves, but none large enough to severely injure him. He was breathing, conscious, just seemed a little punch drunk, so I hurried to find Harvey. A different story there - he wasn't moving when I found him lying face down. I rolled him over and saw his eyes were open, but the pupils had rolled back up into his head and he was not breathing! I took my fists and pounded his chest where I thought his heart was. It only took a few until he gasped and started breathing. Praise God.
Yet I had to know. I asked him what it was like, what did he feel? He mumbled a few words, the only one I could decipher was, "love". Then I woke up.
  Saturday, I went to my cousin's butcher shop (who I considered Joe in the book) to help with the meat. There, I asked the group where dreams come from. They had interesting answers and when I announced that I had dreamed about two of them overnight, one commented that often happens to him - that he dreams about something or someone that is currently in his activities. I then shared the dream. It was neat for them because they had all traversed the fields in my dream and knew exactly where I was describing the events in my dream, unlike most of you who had to create your own picture in your mind.
   So where do dreams come from? I suppose you can research and research and find some solid answers and some, not so solid. Now the main reason (and you know what's coming here) I was anxious to share the dream because I thought it was serving God's purpose. I didn't know what, but recall that God can reveal messages to us in various ways - audibly is rare, thoughts from the Holy Spirit are more common. Through prayer, the Bible, circumstances, the church and others. In the Bible, visions and dreams were mentioned. Dreams? Suppose God sent me that dream, so that I would share it. Did someone there need to hear it? Did one of you need to hear it? Of course, I could be dead wrong. But if it was from God and brings something, anything good to someone, I was bound to obey and very glad to. Now if we could only figure out what other words were with "love" that Harvey spoke. One day we will perhaps. Keep praying and listening for God and much might be revealed to you.
til next time..........Mort