I don't know how to do the quote thing, I'm sure it's easy but anyway I'll try to interpret the beginning dream you had. I'm interested in dreams as well. But this is all opinion, I'm no doctor.
"As a child my father wasn't around when I needed him, but during the time of my courtmartial ( in my first book) he came to me in a dream and told me I would be found not guilty."
Maybe your mind was able to predict that you would not be found guilty, based on the facts that were there. With that prediction, it comes to you in your unconcious state, because in your waking life you were refusing to accept the fact that you could be innocent.
I think maybe we go through so much in one day, and whatever it is that we refuse to accept in that day, our subconcious deals with it, by accepting it or confronthing the problem or situation with dreams. For example, you might think about your cousins pretty boobies, but society says that's kind of messed up to think about. So instead of accepting that sure, she has a nice rack, you push it to the back of your mind. That very act of refusing to accept it, might lead to a dream about say, your cousin holding some balloons. The baloons could represent well, you know.
Just like your father telling you that you would be innocent, represented your ability to predict your own innocence, but in waking life you refused to accept it, thus - the dream. Maybe?
"A couple of weeks ago I dreampt about big MAC McLemon. He was a former marine and a friend of mine and I was saddened to hear he had passed away a few years ago. MAC was a black belt in a martial art, but I don't know which one. During the dream he told me it was the same art that I train in and he came to train with me. He was a top guy and it was nice to see him, even if only in a dream."
I think that dreams of other people could be reflections of yourself. Perhaps you miss him as a friend, but that dream could mean you miss that part of yourself. Think about the art that you train in, then ask yourself if you've been slacking a bit on training maybe? The dream could be a way of your subconcious reminding you of what you like about that art. *shrug* Just a guess.
"Strange things dreams arn't they. Sometimes I wonder if we just dream what's on our minds."
I'm really interested in dreams too, I think they're really important. My take on what they are or what they mean, is that whatever your concious mind doesnt accept or has trouble dealing with, your subconcious mind deals with it through dreams, maybe to prevent mental problems.
Think about working out real hard, your muscles are screaming, you're sore, you go to sleep and your body repairs itself. Maybe its the same thing, except through dreams, we repair certain mental problems or issues we have during the day or situation in our waking life. A necessary natural process, just like how we naturally repair our muscles.
Again, all just an opinion. *shrug* --- It's pretty freudian.