At beginning this school year, I had realized how much I was flying by the seat of my pants in all areas of life, and that was not working for me. I am a scheduler, a list keeper. I once had a college professor tell us that if you are a list keeper, it is a sign of being a control freak... and acted as if it was very wrong to keep them. It was not the first nor last time I disagreed with that professor. Thankfully, we parted on a good note. It was definitely not in my plan to have my current schedule as it is, and now I have been feeling the prompting to make sure I get blogging back into that mix, so here I go... again... still... not giving up.
On a recent Monday afternoon (Sept. 12) my husband and I went for a drive through the beautiful rolling hills of Knoxville. We talked of the goals we've had set for our entire marriage, all 20 years, that we had not yet accomplished, and how we still desired to do them. It was agreed upon that we would continue to pursue them, and planned out how to do just that. One of my goals I shared with him was that of going back to school to get my degree in marriage and family relations. I have always had a desire to help heal families and the Holy Spirit had been pressing on my mind this was the time to do that. As always, my sweetheart enthusiastically supported me, because he knew the importance of it to me. We created a timeline and knew within a year I would be a college student for the first time in over 20 years.
The next morning, I had an unexpected visitor. A friend of mine, who also happens to be the president of our church women's organization, stopped by. She had her darling infant in her arms, explaining they were driving past and her daughter was screaming, struggling to be content on their car ride. Still 10 minutes from home, she pulled over to nurse her. As she was preparing to leave, she realized she was in front of my home and felt impressed to drop in and say hello. There was no official church business to conduct, just a hello. As we sat and talked, I shared with her my excitement to return to school. Celebrating with me, she encouraged me to begin immediately. I saw two problems: classes had already begun (the day before) so I missed the deadline to register, and I did not have the funds to pay for the program I wanted to get into. She told me what she knew about it and said she would talk to our congregational leader to get more information.
Less than 24 hours later I received a text from this friend. She had talked to those in our area over the program I wanted to get into. They said I could go ahead and register, but would be put on a waiting list. If I could not get in right away, then it could be another year before I would be accepted. I followed the instructions I was given to get registered, then panicked!
Father, what in the world is happening? I am not ready for this! I just decided that I am going back to school! I have a plan! I am still unpacking! I need to get more boxes unpacked, freezer meals made, and my kids settled in a routine! It's TOO SOON!!
Yes, this was my freak-out prayer. I then took a few minutes to gather my thoughts and prayed some more. Ok, Father, I am going to call the school and talk to them about financing. If I can get financing worked out, I will know I am to start now. If finances do not work out, I will know my plan to wait a little while longer is what I need to do.
I called.
Finances worked out.
I finished registering.... and waited.
Checking my emails, I learned that I would find out within five days if I made it from the standby list to the actual class. Two hours later, I got an email saying, "CONGRATULATIONS! You have been accepted..."
I was a college student!!! Right then! As in immediately! And I rejoiced... and wept. A life-long goal was about to come true.
[To recap: Monday afternoon I said I wanted to go back to school. Wednesday afternoon I was a student. Heavenly Father showed His sense of humor when I realized He had allowed me to get my plan in place during that two days; I had two freezer meals made and two boxes unpacked.]
Then, the emails came pouring in. I was two days behind! I had homework immediately and struggled to not feel overwhelmed. Thankfully, except for one in-person meeting a week, all my classes are online, so I could cry and pray and cry some more in the privacy of my own room.
Now, I am a college student. I have attended two classes in person. I have assignments I work on nearly everyday. I am still homeschooling my children. I still plan menus, cook 3 meals a day, do canning when I find deals on food to can.... and I am thriving! (Ok, except for that one other freak-out yesterday...) More than anything, I absolutely have to be a task keeper now! Lists and schedules are the key to my success in staying on task and still being able to function. A super supportive family is my secret to doing all of this and being happy through it all.
Being a list master does not mean I am a control freak. It means I desire to have an organized life so all involved thrive. It is one way to be a Guardian of Light. For this, I am grateful, and I will continue to rejoice in my journey.
Loving to learn-
Mama Dragon
Mama Dragon
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