Dreams & Memories


Time is what we feel when our memories exceed our dreams. The moment we allow this to happen is the moment we grow old. We cease to feed our dreams and begin to feed upon our memories. Our memories become finite the moment we stop striving for our dreams. When our dreams die, our memories will soon fade.

Don’t stop dreaming. And don’t stop striving for those dreams. Keep the fire burning on into the night. The harder is the wood, the hotter is the flame. There are far, more uses for a hotter flame.

I wrote this back in 1993. I had gone through some trying circumstances, and I was looking for some inspiration. As always, that inspiration did show up. It came from within my soul in the form of these words. Words have always had special meaning for me. Thinking about this brought to mind something else I wrote, specifically about words, that I thought I would share with you today.

Let it be an inspiration to you to pick up a pen, or sit down at your keyboard, and write something. Or, at least grab a good book and read something inspiring. This is what it takes to change your world. I hope you enjoy this little piece that follows:

In the recently famous phenomenon called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, it was said that everything begins with a thought. This is a simple concept to grasp and accept when we consider anything that has ever been invented. For example, we may consider the airplane, the automobile, the light bulb, and the refrigerator. It is easy to imagine the inventors of these things sitting around dreaming, as we all have, about some fantastic idea that does not yet exist. With the right focus and determination, they then carried their thoughts to fruition through persistent action. The result? They each changed the world with what began as a simple thought.

Even the bible states “In the beginning there was the word…”

Words, as we know, are nothing more than encapsulated thoughts. They are the vehicle we use to transport our thoughts. We share our thoughts with others by using words, and we receive the thoughts of others in the form of words. Words can be written and read, or they may be spoken and listened to.

Words have such a profound impact on our lives in every way. Yet, rarely is much thought given to this. Think about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and all of its amendments, Our Bill of Rights, and all of the laws and regulations, rules and instructions. Think of the words “I do.” Yes, words can change our lives. And they do so in both obvious and subtle ways.

Words can inspire emotions we were not feeling a moment before we read or heard them. They can change our physiological makeup. We are sitting around the dinner table one night when the phone rings. We answer it to find out some news, good or bad, and our very chemistry changes as a result of our reaction to the words.

Words hold within them a power unmatched. The saying that says a picture is worth a thousand words doesn’t exactly convey the whole Truth.


Consider this blog a treatise, a celebration of the written word in all its glory. Words have fascinated me for the better part of my life. I have been putting my thoughts down on paper, almost since I learned to write. I still have in my possession things I wrote back in the fourth grade in school. I am an avid reader of books as well. On average, I read a book every week. I read books to learn. And I don’t read them only once, but many times over and over and over again.

All writings here are copyrighted by Jeffrey Brandt. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.