This has been the kind of week that would have made my mom
so happy. First, my obsessive scanning of the Craigslist housing ads resulted
in the payoff of the year: an 1100 square foot duplex with two bedrooms, two
bathrooms, a fireplace in the living room, washer/dryer included, a garage to
park in, a huge basement for storage that we won’t even need because there is
so much in the unit, a private deck right off the master suite with access to
the wooded yard, and the whole month of September rent-free! The landlord is a
great guy, the location is less than two miles from work and school, it’s
really quite perfect.
Not a day after we landed that place, I got word that I was
accepted into grad school here at Texas State University. I’ll be pursuing my
Master of Education as of next spring! That’s the one that really would have
bowled my mom over (in a good way). It’s comforting to know that she would be
so proud of me, but I miss her cheering me on, regardless.
Look at me go, Mama. Your death reinforced a truth I already
knew: life is unpredictable and short (even at its longest). You never know
where you’ll be in ten years, so don’t waste a single moment delaying the
things you want most in life. Mom should have been a teacher from the get-go.
It’s what she loved and what she was truly great at doing. I’ll die with my
dreams accomplished or I’ll die trying. No reason not to.
