Since Clay and I have been together, there have been tons of changes. New jobs (x4), new cities, getting married, a new dog, buying a house, etc. Well, what fun would it be if we didn't throw one more change in the mix?!
Some of you already know this, but I am not going to be teaching next year. I know, I know. (Insert gasp here for some of you.) I made the decision a while back that I wanted to go back to school for nursing. In college, I initially wanted to go into nursing, but PC didn't have that program. Anyone who has went to PC knows, once you get there, it is really hard to leave. So, I didn't leave. Instead, I stuck it out in a major I wasn't so sure about. I taught for 3 years but now it's time to find out who I am really supposed to be. My family and friends knew that it would be just a matter of time because all along they thought I was meant to do something else. To all those who told me this years ago, here ya go..."You were right." Never doubt what your mama tells you...she's going to be right. Period.
I'm sure some of you are asking, "Why nursing?" Well, obviously the desire to help people. Also, science was the only thing in school that I was interested in and actually learned instead of just memorizing for a test. The main reason for my career change, which I don't think anyone knows, is the nurses at Grace Hospital that took such good care of my daddy when he was dying. I watched as they came in, gave him his medicine, and did EVERYTHING they could to make him comfortable. They were so reliable and they quickly became a constant in a situation that was ever changing. I remember my sister asking them what they would do when we were faced with the choice of switching over to Hospice care. They were straight-forward and honest and gave us the advice we so desperately needed but hated to hear. Let him go. We trusted them and knew how invested they had become in our family and what we were going through. I want to be that for someone one day. Someone that a heartbroken family can cry with when things go wrong and rejoice with when things go the way they had hoped. So, to those nurses, thank you not only for treating my daddy as if he were your own, but for helping me see who I am meant to be.
Love you daddy...
11/15/56-6/27/08
