Counting down....

I have two weeks and two days before my first semester of school is over.  I'm as harried and as busy as I was at the beginning of the semester, but now it feels more normal.  Sometimes I still wonder if I'm crazy as I attempt to keep up with it all, but then I think about how much I love looking in a microscope during Bio lab,  or that sense of satisfaction that comes when I've finished a rough draft even if it's at four in the morning.

My very good friend very delicately asked me if I recognized that my life could be easier if I said no a little more often and yes a little less often. If I said no to my children's extra curricular activities or took less credits, or anything. I know she's right, but the look of joy on their faces, their own sense of satisfaction that comes from being part of a team, and all the rest that comes with all we do, is worth a little extra craziness.

As I wrap up this semester, I look back and hope that I have focused on the good rather than the discouraging. I know that difficult does not equal bad, in fact it's quite the opposite in this case. It has been difficult to go back to school, but every moment has been worth it. Every moment, easy or hard, means I'm a little closer to fulfilling the dream I had to let go of eighteen years ago so that I could work on the other dream. The one that involves a great husband and seven amazing children.