I can’t remember if it was my eighth, ninth, or tenth birthday (mom, you would probably remember); but I do know I was dreaming of a special gift.
I was hoping and wishing that I would get a dollhouse for my birthday.
And not just any dollhouse, but Dream Dollhouse.
You have to understand, Dream Dollhouse was exactly true to it’s name, it was a little girl’s dream.
You see, I already had the family: the dad & mom, 2 daughters, 1 son, a set of twin babies, and the babysitter.
I had the perfect family.
But they lacked one thing – a real home.
I made all sorts of pretend houses out of blocks. I would create my own house designs and fill each room with furniture and scraps of clothes for bedding and curtains.
But who was I kidding? That’s wasn’t real.
They needed a house – a dream house.
Dream Dollhouse was perfect. It was pink, white, and light blue. It had multiple porches and it was three stories. It was just the right size for my family.
I hoped I would get it on my birthday.
My mom always made a big deal out of birthdays when we were little. This birthday was no exception. I don’t remember all that we did, but it was a special day.
When it was time to open presents, I noticed that there were no big packages on the kitchen table.
Maybe it was hidden in the next room and my dad was going to bring it out and yell, “Surprise, GraceAnna, here is your Dream Dollhouse that I bought you!”
After opening each gift, I reached for the last one from my mom and dad. It was small. I unwrapped it carefully.
It was a beautiful . . . teapot.
I collected teapots back then. I’m not quite sure how that got started, but I thought it was pretty cool. I mean, what little girl doesn’t like to dress up and have tea parties?
But I had my heart set on something else.
I tried to sound thankful. I told my parents that I loved it.
As soon as we had picked up all the wrappings, I went upstairs to my room. I laid on my bed and tried not to be disappointed.
But I was very disappointed.
…Let me just say here parenthetically, I know I’m looking pretty spoiled in this story. And I’m just going to admit it, I was. I grew up in America.
Back to the story…
Not too much time had passed before my mom came upstairs. She sat down on the bed next to me, “GraceAnna, what’s wrong? Don’t you like the teapot we gave you?”
That’s all it took. I burst into tears. I told my mom everything. I told her how I had been dreaming of the one and only perfect house. I told her that I knew I shouldn’t be disappointed, but I just couldn’t help it.
I don’t remember everything my mom said, but I do remember her saying that they didn’t realize how much I wanted the dollhouse, and that maybe it could be a Christmas present.
After our conversation, I felt so much better.
Even though I still didn’t have my Dream Dollhouse, I had shared what was so heavy on my heart. Everything would be okay.
Fast forward 15ish years.
Yesterday it was my birthday again. I didn’t have any particular “wish” for my birthday. The only thing I really wanted was to spend the day with Grant. He works such long hours, six days a week, and I miss him.
And God gave me that wish. Grant got the day off.
He took me downtown and did a very self-sacrificing thing – he took me to a girly restaurant, and went into girly shops.
We went down to the park and talked about all that God has given us – each-other, our house in Beaufort, and our little girl on the way.
As we sat and talked, and I looked at him, I remembered the dollhouse. It was my birthday dream. It was a little girl’s dream.
But now, as I turn twenty-five, I realize God has given me so much more than I ever could have wished for as a little girl. He’s given me eternal life, a home in heaven, and then on top of all that, he gave me my own family.
This is not a dream, this is real.
Romans 5 says,
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. . . and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (vs. 1-2,5)
No matter where we are in life, no matter how hard (see verses 3-4 of that same passage), or how good, God has not disappointed us.
He’s given us more than we could ever dream of.
Now I know you might be wondering if I ever got my Dream Dollhouse.
Well, let me tell you…
My mom got it out of the attic a few weeks ago.
It’s already in our little girl’s room upstairs.
And I know, I just know, she’s going to love it.
Castleberry Hearts 
very sweet š
Such a sweet story! ā¤
She is going to LOVE it! Happy birthday GraceAnna. I'm sorry we missed it. Love you friend.
Your stories are amazing!! I love reading all of them!
I remember playing that dollhouse til we were in our late teens