One Lesson I Have Learned About Myself

December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

Some of the prompts for this week have been easy to answer. This one is no different. I like that the prompts make it so that I can write a simple, and also a short answer. By having great prompts like these I can take a minute and write. I guess that is what I am looking for. I want to write more. I really do!

2010 was no different that many of the other years I have spent in Nebraska. There was snow, wind, humidity, sunshine, rain, happiness, sadness and change. Our oldest graduated from high school this year. I did great! In fact as I really thought about his life changing, I was so happy for him. I was happy that he had become the person I had hoped he would. I was grateful for good teachers, mentors and others that have helped Daren and I raise our children. I certainly don't do it alone.

As I sent this boy--young man off to college I realized again that he was doing the best thing I could imagine. He was moving on to the next step in his life. I really haven't been sad. I love to hear of his triumphants and of his successes. He is an amazing young man and I am so proud of him. I learned that I can go on when a child leaves home. It really is OK!

But if I had to choose one thing that I learned about myself in 2010, I guess it would have to be that I can do hard things. I really believe that the Lord will help you and protect and provide for you if you will let him. I don't always do that. Having my class load at UNK cut by half was a real shocker. What it has meant for our family is a $10,000 cut from our income. The timing was horrible. All of this happened about two weeks before school. We were sending a child off to college and a few months later we would need to also provide the money for his LDS mission for two years. I felt like a bomb had exploded and that I wasn't going to survive. I pulled back into my little shell. I ate horrible. I didn't exercise. I pretty much went into survival mode. Here we are four months later and we are OK.--don't look too closely at our house.

I found a little teaching job at a local community college a couple of nights a week and work a little here and there for the school district. Is it what I want? NO! But is something I can work with. Maybe. This change also provided me with the motivation to start my MA degree. I have wanted to start the program, but now I "have" to. It's great! By the time I am 50 I will have my masters degree. NICE!

So in all things there can be good things come about. Learning about myself is not always easy. I know that in 2011 I can go forward. I will keep changing the things I don't like about myself and strengthening those wonderful talents I have been given. Lessons learned in life are vital!