The Projection Room

The Projection Room

By: Linda South Honea

In the "Write to Freedom" series, where readers become writers!

Do you remember those reel-to-reel projectors in elementary school? Before You Tube, before Podcasts, before DVD’s, before VHS videos, there were reel-to-reel films.

Long ago, I attended Kiest Elementary School.  Once or twice a month, the students formed straight lines, and we walked quietly to the ‘Projection Room.’  We sat in theater-style seats, while one of the trained students, usually a boy, ran the film projector. 

We watched black and white movies about many subjects, from arachnids to science experiments.  We viewed movies about history, or about famous people like Albert Einstein.

At 8-years old, we didn’t really care what was on the screen.  It was such a treat to leave the classroom and go to the Projection Room! 

When I was 11, I learned to run the projector!  I carefully threaded the film, up-around-over-and-through, set the film exactly on the pins and then attached it to the second reel.  Voila!

My favorite moments are when God communicates to me in a dream, like a special reel-to-reel movie event!

Now, here I am in the 21^st century, pondering that Projection Room, because of a dream. 

Do you have dreams while you sleep? I love dreams. 

For me, it is a time when my mind is quiet, and, God communicates with me like a Reel-to-Reel movie.  The movies can be fun, fascinating, mysterious, and even helpful. 

Once I dreamed I was going down the rapids of the Guadalupe River, then, the river diverged into two choices, left or right.  I chose left, went over a waterfall into a recliner chair!

Note:  Six months later, in my personal life, I had to make a tough decision about going to college.  I chose to go to college and it was hard, but in it, I had great peace and rest.

Today, I awoke from a dream, which ended with me threading an old-fashioned projector.  The dream itself included old friends, family members, towns I’ve lived in, both past and present.  Plus, I was driving a big SUV in a hurry to go, go, go. 

What does that mean?!

As my dear friend, Sue says, “time to get naked!”, in other words, Linda… get real.

Honestly, I have been whining a lot lately.  I am extremely overqualified for my job.  I live in an apartment, not a house.  I’m single with no prospects (although, Lord knows I love companionship and being married).  I want to travel.  I want opportunities to teach and speak motivationally.  I want to use my gifts and knowledge. 

Then… my closest, beloved friend, Gail (not her real name), was invited to speak.  A national women’s group asked Gail to travel to my own state of Texas and teach.  After that, she will travel to Italy to speak. 

I am happy for her, but, I want to be asked!  I want to be important!!

I… I… I… I…

        Wait a minute, Lord?

                What about me?

Ha! The dream interpretation comes: 

• I’m trying to thread the projector with the film of my life. 
• I’m driving the car making my directional turns myself.

Now, I ask myself:  If my life were a movie, a Reel-to-Reel film, do I know the ending?  Do I even know how the scenes unfold?  Like Scarlett O’Hara, I say, “Tomorrow is another day.”  But what happened to Scarlett?  Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, died before Hollywood produced a "tomorrow"… a Gone With the Wind-Part Two. 

What will happen to me and my tomorrows?

Rather than run the film projector of my life, it's time to let go.  I know the One who wrote the book of my life. 

It's time to trust and flow with the movie He's producing.

So, as we hear the "Oscar" buzz this week, let’s remember that those people are actors… those people are awarded for pretending in a film.

You and me?  We are living a real-life, real time reel-to-reel movies, with a Divine Director who created the universe!  Our movie has laughter, love, and learning hard lessons.  Congratulations to us!  We are all award winners!   

Linda’s life:  Take 3,457…   LIGHTS!  CAMERA!  ACTION!

Linda South Honea has been a pioneer her whole life.  At 18 months she boldly went bra-less and diaper-less to follow the dog under the fence, out into the big world beyond the back yard.  At 6-years-old she stole the neighbor boys’ baseball equipment because they wouldn’t let girls play.  Linda was the first of her siblings to fly on a plane(remember Braniff Airlines?); and she has traveled the world many times since.  As a PFC’s wife, she was awarded the Molly Pitcher Medal (highest honor of the U.S. Army Artillery given to a civilian woman), when she started one of the first family support organizations at Fort Sill, OK.  While her family lived under terrorist threat in Germany, Linda and six other women led, served, and reassured 200+ women during Desert Storm.

2008 brought a battle that Linda didn’t have the “proper gear” for… betrayal, adultery, shunning, and a divorce that was worse than death.  She has since learned to find her true identity in 'being' rather than 'doing.'  Linda’s laughter and humor change the atmosphere!  Many folks have said that her words, albeit in heavily accented TEXAN, propel them forward courageously, and, that Linda is an authentic, honest woman of God.

"My heart's desire is to see that people are set free to live out their dreams, that women serve alongside men on any and all battlefields, and that families be reunited and restored."

Tagged as: Choosing Love Today, Create Your World, Dreams that Shape A Legacy, Real People Real Stories, Rewriting the Future