Change of Plans...and Pace

I know I said I wouldn't be posting until Thursday, but there's been a change of plans. I didn't have any finals...that's right no finals. A fellow student at my college was killed in a very bad car accident on Saturday. The passenger escaped with a few minor scrapes and bruises.

Due to the ongoing grieving of the students and faculty, they (the administration and faculty) called a meeting to decide what to about upcoming finals. After much thought, they said finals were optional. If they helped boost our grade, it would be counted. If they lowered our grade, it wouldn't.

I thought about it, but I didn't really benefit from taking any of my finals since I had A's. I'm not one to toot my own horn, just trying to make a point. Lots of people wanted to know if I was taking any finals, and I said, "No." My summer has started early, but not AT ALL in the way I expected.

Yes, everyone likes it if they don't have to take one final, maybe two. People go nuts when they hear the word optional. Lots of people packed their things and went home to their families. In the midst of them celebrating summer, a girl has died. I told my mom this was supposed to be a happy time for her and her family because of graduation, but now it will be a sad time for them. I can't imagine how her family felt, knowing the miles that separated them. She lived in Texas, so it wasn't like her family could get to her in ten minutes.

Last night, my mom said, "Well, no more school for awhile." I said, "I know. I have NOTHING to do, and I don't know what to do with myself!" She laughed and said, "I've got something you can do, read this book." So, as my summer starts, I'm relaxing and reading. Imagine that, reading on my time off! The book is called Gifted Hands by Ben Carson M.D. with Cecil Murphey. It's a wonderful book about a black man who defies all odds to become someone who performs medical miracles. Seriously. There's no way you can be depressed after reading this book. It's a classic story of the "underdog" becoming something great.