Homework

For those of you who don't know, I started back to college last week. As a busy mother of three small, vivacious daughters and a wife, the thoughts of homework scared me a little. But as I went to class Monday night, I came to the realization that I had become a homework professional in the past few years. You see, homework comes in all types. I have taken classes here and there for some time. In between school, life became filled with marriage, raising babies and singing lullabies, an ill mother, and many ups and downs. Yet something always drew me back to school. It took me forever to obtain my Associate's Degree, and though I thought that would bring me happiness, I knew deep down that my ultimate happiness was not complete. We fulfill our own destinies, and I knew eventually it owuld be up to me to complete school with a Bachlor's Degree. As I started at USF on that journey, I found out that I was pregnant with a third child. At first, I questioned how in the world I would ever finish school. The thoughts of me being a mother to three, when two was already exhausting put my mind in a frenzy. Of course, that all changed the moment I laid eyes upon that child. I'll never forget what my mom said to me when I became discouraged about ever finishing school. She said, "don't worry honey, school will still be there when you're ready to go back". That stuck with me, alhtough a part of me knew my mom wanted to see me graduate more than anything. So I became a parent with three little girls, and was completely devoted to being a mom and when my mother became ill, I became completely devoted to helping to take care of her. The sicker she became, the more I thought about school, and when I found out she was dieing, I felt saddened with the loss of her, and that she wouldn't be there to see me graduate. Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest family in the world filled with a loving and devoted husband, my precious girls, my loving dad, and many extended family including "mama" Anne, my brother, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Bev, and many other Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and the greatest group of friends in the world. But when mama passed, for awhile I wondered why I even needed to worry about school. I hate admitting that. I've never had the desire to quit school, but life always threw "Homework" of a different form my way.
But as time went on, I began to desire my degree more than anything. I could picture myself wearing that cap and gown, with family and friends watching me. And now that I've started back and know that in a matter of eleven short months I will finally reach that goal of graduating, I am pushing even harder to finish. Next August, 2012, I will walk proudly in that cap and gown across the stage and know that although life has thrown so much our way, that I have overcome hurdles, and will finally finish my homework. Or maybe I've just begun. I'm learning this journey called life is filled with rainbows. You just have to decide whether you want to let the rain get in your way, or push your way past the sun and over to your pot of gold.