Reflection on Returning to School In August of 2015, my husband and I renewed our wedding vows in front of many of our friends and family members. We have had a challenging marriage, filled with much joy and sorrow. Taking care of my family has been my primary focus for so many years that my entire identity has revolved around being Richard’s wife and Mariah and Andrew’s mom. I also became a grandmother at 38 years old, when our daughter got pregnant in high school. She was adamant that she wanted to keep her baby, go to school and make a life for herself and our granddaughter Lilla.
We chose to support her in her decision and they lived with us until recently. We became official empty nesters in August when the girls moved to a town 50 miles from our home, so that they could both go to school. When my husband and I got married I chose to stop going to school so that I could be home with our kids. I was so inspired by my daughter’s tenacity in going back to school and getting her degree that I started to wonder why I hadn’t gone back to school yet. In 1994, my husband Richard was able to complete his first Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
He has been working toward a second Master’s Degree since August of 2014. Our 23-year-old son is married and has a beautiful 6-month old son Charlie, plus he works full-time and goes to school parttime. Even though I have worked for a number of companies over the years and have had some wonderful learning experiences, I have always felt less that other people because | don’t have a college education. As much as I wanted to go back to school, the timing was never quite right for me to do so.
My husband has been an engineer for close to 20 years and we have traveled all over the country for his work. Through those experiences we have learned that the world is a big, beautiful place. Getting outside my comfort zone usually isn’t difficult for me. I trust that God Williams. Session 1. Journal 3 has a plan for my life and no matter where He leads, it is ok to follow Him. Going back to school was a dream lhad given up on. I have a terrific family, am blessed with a great job.
So, when I was driving to work one day and heard on K-Love that they were giving away scholarships to Colorado Christian University, I felt absolutely certain that God wanted me to pursue this opportunity. When I got into work, I did a Google search for CCU and read more about their Adult online education program. I filled out the online request for information and received a phone call from Emily, my first contact with CCU. She patiently answered all of my questions, then she prayed with me. I was moved to tears!
I could only marvel that God in his wisdom knew that this is the right time and the right program for me to finish my degree. I just finished my first class at CCU. I got a 95. 5% overall! What a confirmation to me that school is not just for my husband and my children, it is for me too! I had been joking with some of our friends for about a year that I was starting to feel left out because everyone in my family was in school, except for me. I had prayed about this opportunity, knowing that God would close the door if I was not supposed to be going through it.
I thank God that He is faithful, even when I am unsure. I know that this is an amazing opportunity for me to shine for Him as I work toward my degree. As I start this second class, I realize that I had been so focused what a big deal it was that I hadn’t been to school, that it had become something I was afraid to even try to do. It’s okay to start out scared, I can do things when I’m scared. I can’t finish anything if I don’t get started and I pray that I will stay focused on my goal. The best way for me to stay focused is really very simple as I do the next right thing, one thing at a time.
