Tears, smiles and laughter!

Wow, I'm still in awe when I think about it but I did it! The picture you see above is my diploma! On February 18, 2014 I officially graduated from WGU Indiana and earned my bachelors degree! I can tell you when I received my diploma it was a day filled with tears, giant smiles and laughter.

Since I received my diploma in the mail it was a bit different then receiving my diploma at an official commencement ceremony. (In September I will take the walk at an official ceremony, but I will share more information about that in another blog post.) I will never forget when I walked to the mailbox and seen an over-sized letter with my name on it! I immediately ran to the house and ironically enough I couldn't bring myself to open it right away. I had to take a minute, breath and gather my thoughts. When I finally peeled away the envelope and my diploma emerged I immediately began to cry. The tears were a result of so many different emotions. I was relieved that it was finally finished, I was thrilled that I did it and I was sad that my mother wasn't physically here with me to see.

After I was able to wipe the tears away along came the giant smiles, not only from me but from my 3 youngest children and my sister. After they all took turns looking at my diploma, they decided that some sort of little ceremony should be performed and that is when the laughter began.

Abigail stationed herself at one end of the kitchen and I still dressed in my pj's stood at the other end. (Yes I check my mail in pj's if you are wondering.) After my name was announced the crowd in the living room comprised of my sister, Daniel and Molly began to sing Pomp and Circumstance as I walked toward Miss Abigail. Miss Abigail with outstretched arms handed me my diploma and my little crowd began to cheer. I tell you that had to be one of the proudest moments of my life, pj's and all, no official ceremony can top that! After I took my diploma and waved it in the air for all to see the laughter began to ring out. It was tremendous and a day I will never forget! The giggles, laughter and the cheers of "way to go mom" will forever echo in my heart.

My Mentor

I wanted to take the time today to talk a little bit about my student mentor. Her name is Melissa W. and she is absolutely amazing. I don't think she exactly realizes the impact she has had on me over the last several years. Mere words can't begin to explain all that she has done, but I'm going to try and use them to convey at least a little bit of what she has meant to me throughout the years.

I have faced many challenges during my time at WGU Indiana. Just some of them entailed extremely painful health issues, surgeries, caring for a loved one, dealing with deaths and some more personal issues, but through it all I always knew that there was one thing that was constant, my mentor. I knew that no matter what was going on in my life, there would be a phone call during the week from someone who was going ask me how I was doing, did I need anything, offer me words of encouragement and listen to what I had to say. That was monumental for me. You see, I didn't always have a lot of people who encouraged me during the rough spots on my journey. I'm not even sure people realized just how many struggles I was facing at times, but Melissa did. She knew it all and supported me every step of the way. She listened to me laugh, cry and totally go off the wall sometimes. :) I am sure there were moments where she questioned my sanity, but as kindhearted as she is, she stuck by me. I always said, that I offer my apologies if she needs therapy after dealing with me for all these years :). But in all seriousness, she kept me grounded. She never showed a sign of doubting me and that in itself was empowering. It felt good to know that someone believed in me and knew I could do it, even when I wasn't sure myself.

I still find it amazing that she could make me feel as if I was the only student she mentored. That says a lot about her and the specialized attention she gives to each and every student she mentors. She listens, she cares, she offers advice and encouragement. What more could anyone want from a mentor. She even sends little sayings and words of encouragement through email during the week and yes I did read everyone of them! I even shared a few on facebook :), which I might add always got a lot of likes :).

In conclusion, I just wanted to share publicly all that she has done for me and to personally thank her for all she has done. I want her to know that a part of my success is owed to her and her kindness. Thank you Melissa W., in words that my kids would use, "you rock".