Today one of my oldest (as in, known the longest) and most favoritest friends received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a concentration in Substance Abuse/Addictions Counseling. To fully appreciate this you have to know that school has not always been her top priority, nor has it always been easy for her. She worked so hard to finish this degree and I am so, so, so very proud of her. Love you, Shayna!
Because I already participated in the commencement ceremony for my degree (way back in 2005!) I was not eligible to walk in this year’s ceremony. But, my husband’s parents treated me to a graduation ceremony of their own this past weekend. It was a lot of fun!
My mother-in-law gave a very nice commencement address in which she discussed the importance of hard work, perseverance, and resilience.
In addition to the honors I received from Keene State College, I also received several awards from the Wilsonian Institute, as well as from various members of my family (including my cat!).
It’s hard to believe this but the last time I “graduated” Lillia was the same age as Zane is now! She’s grown a lot since then but she always was, and still is, a huge part of my motivation to finish my degree.
My mother-in-law even made me this delicious cake, complete with a red & white color scheme — the colors of my alma mater.
I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family.
A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions — as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all. — Friedrich Nietzsche
Hooray! I made it! My grade was posted this morning. I am done. It wasn’t the straightest path, and it certainly wasn’t the easiest. But, I now hold the honor of calling myself a “college graduate.”
Still, the past thirteen years of hard work earned me more than a college degree. I also got…
…two beautiful children who bring me more joy than anything else I have ever known,
…a wonderful soul mate of a husband who never utters anything but a kind word to me and our children and is in every sense of the word a life partner — the journey has been much easier with him around,
…a small but happy home of my own and much work to do as its caretaker,
…many jobs, some more fulfilling than others, and endless learning in the “real world,”
…the chance to grow as a mother, a wife, and a woman, in ways I never knew were possible.
Earning my degree is an accomplishment that I am proud of, but I am just as proud of everything I’ve accomplished outside of the classroom during these long years. I am looking forward to learning what the future holds for me now that this task is complete.