[at-l] The second most awesome hike I've seen in my life...

[shellydhale at earthlink.net (Shelly Hale)]

I gotta tell ya that Saturday gave me the second most awesomest hike that I have been privileged to watch.  My 35 year old sister graduated from Lincoln Memorial University as an RN.  As she walked across that stage to receive her diploma the whole family screamed and cheered.  My heart was just bustin' with pride and tears streamed down my face.  

It may have seemed like a short hike across the stage, but in reality this is a hike she has been preparing for over the past several years.  After Lori graduated from high school she did go to college, but soon dropped out when things just became easier to just work for a living--she married a man in the navy and had a little girl.  With all of the moving around and loss of having family so close to her, she soon lost any hope of getting a degree.  When her marriage fell apart and she came home for good 3 years later, it seemed as if she'd lost all of her will to do much of anything.  Then, she got a job as a CNA at a local nursing home--this was the beginning of her hike.  

Nursing was Lori's calling.  She just has a way with patients and takes such wonderful care of them.  Momma and I had encouraged her to go back to school, but Lori kept telling us that she was too stupid to go back to school and that she had hated going to school the first time.  Then, one day she was complaining about the care that some of the other CNA's were giving the patients and was frustrated because she felt like their was nothing she could do to change things.  I pointed out to her that if she went back to school then she'd be able to be in a higher position to do something about it.  The seed was planted and when the roots of her stubbornness and determination took hold there was no holding her back.

At graduation she wore her cap that she had decorated with her trail name the other students gave her along their journey together--Nurse Ratchet...because she was a hard core nurse and patient advocate that never gave up.  

As with being out on the trail, there are many things that we must do to prepare, but there is nothing as satisfying as reaching your goals.  And, in order to complete the journey we must have attitude, determination, and a love of what we do.  Sometimes if feels that we spend a lot of time and effort on preparation, but the rewards we reap are so grand in their measure that no comparison can be made.

Shelly Hale

P. S.  The first most awesomest hike that I was privileged to watch was when my Momma graduated from college at the age of 42 in 1995.  Even being 8 months pregnant, I stood up in my chair and screamed for my Momma as she took that short hike across that stage for her diploma.  My Daddy cried that day...just like he did Saturday.  You see, Momma started going back to school when my brother was 5 years old (this was in 1979), and with working and family she was only able to take 1 night class a semester for all of those years.  Then Tusculum had a satellite program specifically designed for working adults--finally a way to do more college at one time for a working adult!  So, I guess you could say that my Momma went to college for 16 years.  She had made so many sacrifices to work on her schooling...missed events with family and that kind of thing.  But, through it all she never wavered from the sight of her goals.