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I had a dream or vision of some sort - a large crate of oranges was laid on the table for me. Then the next time, the crate of oranges was given to me by a large silhouette.
I had a dream or vision of some sort - a large crate of oranges was laid on the table for me. Then the next time, the crate of oranges was given to me by a large silhouette.
Dreams and visions often speak in images, so here are several gentle ways I read what I saw, along with practical next steps to help me reflect more deeply.
Dreams and visions often speak in images, so here are several gentle ways I read what I saw, along with practical next steps to help me reflect more deeply.
-- Rev. Donna Yvette Lawson, M.Div., MA
Commissioned Minister
Teacher-Researcher & Ministry Practitioner
Doctor of Educational Ministry Student, Columbia Theological Seminary
Specializations: HIV & Aging, Black Church Studies, Practical Theology
Quick Symbolic Reads
Oranges = nourishment & blessing. Fruit often means provision, health, sweetness, or something ripened and ready to be received. Oranges suggest vitality, energy, and something bright (think sunlight, refreshment).
A crate = a large, packaged gift or responsibility. A crate suggests quantity and containment, more than a single fruit. It can mean a lot of resources, opportunities, or tasks arriving at once.
The table = invitation to share / a place of offering. Tables are where things are laid out for inspection, for fellowship, or for decision. The first scene (crate on the table) feels like an opportunity presented for you to notice or choose.
The silhouette = unknown giver/shadow/protector / divine messenger. A large, shadowy figure handing the crate to you could represent an external benefactor (a person or community), an inner part of yourself stepping forward, an ancestor/guardian, or a sense of the divine/the sacred working on your behalf. The ambiguity is important; it’s not a small, everyday exchange; it feels weighty and a bit mysterious.
Themes that Connect the Images
Abundance arriving: Something plentiful is being made available to you.
An invitation to accept or steward: You may be asked to receive, to manage, or to share these resources.
Hidden source/trust: The origin is unclear; trust or faith might be required to accept it.
Readiness & timing: The fruit is ripe; timing may be right for a season of fruitfulness.
Practical Reflection Prompts
What in your life feels like a “crate of oranges” right now — resources, ideas, projects, relationships?
Getting “As” on my class assignments and final grade
Speaking (storytelling engagements)
Becoming comfortable in using tech software
The successful learning of my grandchildren
My younger daughter is healing from surgery, and my older daughter’s life fulfillment.
Ability to meet my financial needs
Friendship & Community
Moving my desired books from my “Save for Later” to my cart for purchase.
Overall contentment
Stable health, etc.
How did you feel in the dream when the crate was on the table?
I felt happy. I was surprised that the crate of oranges was waiting for me when I arrived. I kept thinking and asking, though I said nothing, “Are these for me?” I saw beauty in the crate of oranges. As I write, I remember hearing “Yes, the crate of oranges is for you.” I felt a sense of unbelief that I was “thought of in a way” that warranted the crate of oranges. I never placed my hands on the crate or took an orange. I just stood there in awe – beauty in the oranges and awe- that this beauty was for me?
How did you feel when the silhouette handed the crate of oranges to you? (fear, joy, surprise, gratitude?)
I felt surprised. When the crate of oranges was handed to me, I took them and held them in my arms up against my chest. I remained in awe. And, I kept asking, “I thought I took the crate this time. “Are you sure these are for me?” And again, with delight, the silhouette responded, “Yes.”
I woke at that point. I woke energized. I wanted more information about the dream. I had a bit more energy to wash my face, take my medication as scheduled, and prepare breakfast.
Who or what in your life might the silhouette represent — a person, a part of you, an ancestor, God?
I realize now that the silhouette is my mother, Mommy. Mommy loves oranges. Every year on my birthday, she tells the same story, how she craved oranges while carrying me, how she ate them with such joy. She also says that those same oranges nearly cost her life. She remembers the doctor asking my grandmother, in the urgency of surgery, which life they should try to save if it came to that, hers or the baby’s. And my grandmother, without hesitation, said, “Save my child.”
I never knew what to do with that part of the story. I never felt anything strong about it, though I suppose now it must hold some meaning. The truth is, we both lived. But what stays with me most is not the danger, not the choice, but the sweetness my mother found in oranges even while her body was suffering. Somehow, that feels like my life, too blessed and burdened, nourished and wounded by the same fruit.
And yet, I am more blessed than burdened. I share oranges with Mommy now, on the small altar I’ve made for her in my bedroom, a place where memory and presence live together. The orange has become our symbol of sweetness, pain, survival, and love.
A Sweetness Born of Struggle
A Devotional Reflection Inspired by My Mother
Scripture:
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
Psalm 34:8
I see it now—the silhouette is my mother, Mommy.
She has always loved oranges.
Every birthday, she tells the same tender story:
how she ate them with delight while carrying me,
how she savored their sweetness even as her body struggled to bring me into this world.
She remembers the doctor asking my grandmother
who they should try to save if birth demanded a sacrifice—
the mother or the child.
And my grandmother, without trembling, answered,
“Save my child.”
I never knew what to do with that part of the story.
Perhaps I didn’t have to know—
We both lived.
And life has a way of giving its meaning in its own time.
What lingers in me is not the fear or the threat of loss,
but the orange itself,
how Mommy enjoyed it,
how joy and suffering lived together in her body,
how sweetness held her even through pain.
It feels like a mark on my own life:
a blessing and a burden,
a fruit that nourishes and wounds,
and still tastes good enough to keep living for.
Now I share oranges with her
at the small altar I’ve made in my room—
a quiet place where presence is not past tense,
where memory breathes, and love sits down with me.
We meet there, she and I.
Peel by peel.
Sweetness and sacrifice.
Life that almost wasn’t,
life that keeps on being.
The orange has become our prayer—
a communion of survival,
a sacrament of sweetness,
a fruit of love that does not let go.
Closing Invitation
You may not dream in oranges as I do. Your sweetness may come wrapped in another scent, another memory, another sacrifice. Whatever God has placed in your life that holds both joy and struggle, may it become a place of meeting, a prayer, a remembrance.
Consider these invitations for your own journey:
You may not dream in oranges as I do, but God has given each of us a sweetness born from struggle, whatever your fruit may be, honor it, taste it, and let it teach you.
Yours may not be an orange, perhaps it is music, a smell, an object, a memory, but whatever holds both sweetness and sacrifice in your story, let it become your prayer.
If oranges are not your story, find what nourishes you in both joy and pain, and hold it close, it is there that God speaks.
You may not share my orange, but you have your own symbol. Cherish it, let it speak, and let God meet you there.
Prayer
Lord,
teach me to taste the goodness You have woven into my life—
not only in the sweet places,
but in the costly ones too.
Reveal the symbols, the memories, the ordinary gifts
through which You speak Your love to me.
Sanctify my story as You did my mother’s.
Let my life be a testimony of survival,
of sweetness born from struggle,
of a love that does not let go.
Amen
If this were a message, what would accepting the crate require of you? (time, trust, labor, sharing?)
If the latter is the message, then accepting that this message is true, receiving the crate of oranges (whatever they may be) will require me to dream, trust, and have faith. It will require me to believe that I am worthy of the crate of oranges, and to accept them.
Gentle actions you can take
Write it out: Describe the dream in detail and how it left you emotionally.
Symbol ritual: Place a single orange somewhere meaningful, light a candle, and say a brief prayer or affirmation of openness to receive and to steward well.
Share or test: Tell someone you trust about the dream, sometimes speaking it aloud clarifies the meaning.
Watch for follow-up dreams or signs: The crate being given twice suggests a theme; notice if similar images recur.
Prayer
“Thank you for this gift of abundance. Help me to see its source, to receive with wisdom, and to steward and share what is given. Grant me clarity about what this season asks of me. Amen.”
Journaling: The Crate of Oranges
Instructions: Find a quiet space. Read through each section and take time to write freely. Don’t worry about neatness; let the words flow.
1. The Image
Describe the dream in your own words.
What details stood out most (color, size, atmosphere, emotions)?
2. First Encounter (crate on the table)
How did you feel seeing the crate on the table?
What does a table symbolize to you (fellowship, offering, work, family, altar)?
3. Second Encounter (crate given by silhouette)
How did you feel receiving the crate from the silhouette?
Who or what might the silhouette represent in your life? (God, an ancestor, your future self, someone in your community?)
4. The Oranges
What does fruit, especially oranges, mean to you? (Abundance, health, sweetness, sunrise, energy?)
If each orange represented a blessing or responsibility, what might be inside this crate?
5. The Gift & the Giver
What does it mean to receive something large and abundant?
What part of you hesitates to accept it? What part of you feels ready?
6. Application
How might this dream be inviting you to receive or steward something new in your real life right now?
Write one action step you can take this week to practice receiving (even something small).
“Thank you for this gift of abundance. Help me to see its source, to receive with wisdom, and to steward and share what is given. Grant me clarity about what this season asks of me. Amen.”
Prayer: Receiving the Crate
Materials: One orange (or any fruit), a small candle, a quiet space.
Center Yourself
Sit comfortably. Place the orange and the candle before you.
Take three deep breaths.
2. Light the Candle
As you light it, say softly: “I welcome light, clarity, and guidance.”
3. Hold the Orange
Place it in your hands. Imagine it as part of the crate you were given.
Whisper: “This is my gift. This is my abundance. I receive it with gratitude.”
4. Offer a Prayer
Speak aloud or silently: “Thank you for the blessings placed before me. Teach me to receive with joy, to steward with wisdom, and to share with love. May what be given bear fruit in my life and in the lives of others. Amen.”
5. Closing Gesture
Place the orange on your table as a reminder.
Blow out the candle, saying: “The light goes with me.”
Rev. Donna Yvette Lawson, M.Div., MA
Commissioned Minister
Teacher-Researcher & Ministry Practitioner
Doctor of Educational Ministry Student, Columbia Theological Seminary
Specializations: HIV & Aging, Black Church Studies, Practical Theology
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