Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Mercy Blog Tour: College Lessons


One lesson that I learned from my college years wasn’t learned inside a classroom. The most memorable lessons in life and the ones that we learn the most from are the ones that we learn the hard way. These are the ones that stick with us.
     And for me one such lesson happened midway through my freshman year of college. I was away from home for the first time (not counting summers with my grandparents) and homesick as well as dealing with the aftermath of ending and leaving an abusive relationship. My parents thought me going to school away from home was the best thing for me. At the time I didn’t think so but looking back that semester away was for the best.
     I was home for Thanksgiving break to discover that my mom hadn’t been looking good. I knew something wasn’t right but neither one of my parents would tell me what was wrong. I later heard my dad telling my mom that she needed to me. That I had a right to know, mom said they would tell me when I came home for break after my finals.
     I went back to school, studied for finals while seeing what schools close to home I could transfer to. Found one that had my major applied for transfer. Finished the semester packed up my stuff withdrew from the college and drove home. 
     Once home and finally learning what my mom had to tell me, she got some health news that was kind of scary. She had pre-cancerous cells that were going to lead to surgery and chemo.  I then knew that I had made the right choice by withdrawing for college. The school I applied to transfer to couldn’t get me in until the fall so I had to set a semester out.  But that was fine I was available to drive my mom to doctor appts and treatments so dad didn’t have to miss a lot a work. 
     What I didn’t know at the time was that the week mom had her last treatment I started at a page at the public library. That now 13 years later has me in my dream job.
     Lesson learned even if life doesn’t go the way you planned, it’s going the way God planned.  

1 comment:

  1. Carissa, it always means so much that you're willing to share your heart and write personal posts for blog tours. I'm so sorry for all the pain you experienced in your college years. But your lesson/reminder is so beautiful and true, that God is at work, even when it feels like life isn't going the way it "should" in our minds. I'm glad you had that time to be there for your mom, and I'm also glad you're now in your dream job. ♥ And most of all, I'm so glad you've seen God's loving, guiding hand at work in your life!

    When I finished college, I too returned home. I didn't know what exactly I would do or what would happen. My grandma passed away suddenly about a year and a half after graduation, and I'm also so grateful I was home and got to be with her before then and with family before and after that time. ♥

    ~Amber

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