This may sound a bit weird but bear with me. The other night I had a dream about Girls' State in the future. Normally I don't remember my dreams very well or, if I do, very vividly. This one was different though; I remembered it almost perfectly. I want you to read this and think about what it could mean. I've been known to know about things before they happen. So sit back, read, and interpret as you see fit.
I first found myself standing at the edge of an open area, holding a lit candle, and facing the rest of the gathering. I was in the Montag Courtyard facing the newest Girls' State citizens as they participated in the meaningful Candle Lighting Ceremony. I hear singing around me and turn. My friends from Cooper County and fellow Junior Counselers stand with me, remebering our own Ceremony the year before. I smile at them and recieved smiles and tears in return. Only then do I realize I am crying. The girls of my new county sit at my feet and many of them are crying as well. Seeing their tear-stained faces lit by candles pulls at something inside me, tugs at my heart. Even as I close my eyes in rememberence, the vision fades.
My eyes open to a new scene, onw where not a single girl is to be found. I see many proud women instead. We sit at a table, in a meeting of sorts. The conversation reaches my ears, just as an important question is asked, who will return to Girls' State as County Coordinators? I stand, words flowing from me before I can register them. I'll do it, I say, I may only be 26, but with ten years of Girls' State behind me, I feel I can do it, I could be a "mom." Many laugh behind blank faces, but I can see it in their eyes; they think I cannot do it, I cannot deal with being a county "mom." But one has faith in me, the only one that matters; I can see she cares and believes she can do it. We lock eyes and silently agree on things unsaid, answer questions unasked. She nods simply and I sigh quietly as I resume my seat and close my eyes yet again. I had done it, I had become one of the youngest "moms" to date.
My eyes open to a new scene yet again. Again I see many girls before me. Instead os tears and candles, I see pajamas, hesitant eyes, and excited faces. Our first night as a county and the beginning of wonderful friendships. Was it really possible for me to be sitting there, thirty years aftermy first Girls' State, watching others go through the same thing I did? Was it possible that I saw infront of me what I once was? My heart and mind both agree it is possible and real to me. I watch the girls make introductions and see how their personalities differ, some timid, others bold, yet still more neither or both. I stand to introduce myself. Astonishment flickers over many faces when they hear I had been involved in Girls' State for more than thirty years. Their minds are drawing blanks while their hearts are saying, "That could be me one day." As I make sure they're all settled, I can see the friendships and trust already formed and I think, even as the dream fades to waking, this is what Girls' State is all about.