Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Busy bee!

My Mom reminded me this past weekend that I haven't posted a new blog for some time.  I know.  I have 1 online class and a computer class that is seated.  I've been blessed to work every day for the past 3 weeks, so I spend all of my home computer time doing homework. Yes, I have been busy, but I am rejoicing all the same.  At least, my mind is rejoicing.  My body thinks that I have lost my mind!  I used to think 5 hours of sleep a night was great.  Now, 5 hours is a nap!  Oh, how things change in 20 years.  Last week a young woman got on the elevator right after me as I was headed up to my Wed. night class.  She still had on her McDonald's uniform.  I smiled and commented that she was coming from work to school too.  She simply said, "Yeah."  I told her that I knew it was difficult now, but that it would all be worth it in the end.  She said that she hoped so, and I assured her that it would and to stick it out.  I thought about her tonight as I came home from work,  picked the dog up from the groomer, took my youngest daughter to the doctor for a check-up, stopped at the grocery store to pick up pork chops, did homework while my husband cooked, took 15 minutes to eat and returned to the small room that we call an office to do invoices for my husband.  It's 11:35, and I just emailed the last one.  My alarm clock goes off at 5:30 in the morning, so I've gotta rap this up!  It will all be worth it in the end.  I know this because my first diploma wasn't easy either, although my life was much simpler in those days.  I remember how great it felt to receive my diploma.  Funny, I never thought twice about the difficulty after I had that diploma in my hands.  My Mom finally told me she was proud of me!  My daughter was just over a year old and really didn't understand it all, but, in my mind, I thought she was proud of me too.  Yes, it was truly worth the sacrifice and so will this be too.  I am not busy.  I am blessed. 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Embracing my Ma'am

I turned 40 last year, and I truly embraced it.  My sister threw me the best birthday party that I have ever had....live DJ and all!  I love what God is doing in my life, and I am looking forward to the next 40 years.  Well, my birthday is right around the corner, and I have learned that, while I had no problem embracing 40, there are some things that happen in my 40s that I am not embracing so well.  Night sweats!  Weight gain!  Splotchy skin!  I could keep on going, but you get my drift. 

I've recently started classes at the local community college, go SCC, and I feel like a fish out of water.  A lot has changed since I graduated from college over 16 years ago!  Most of it is for the better, but there is still a learning curve for me.  I'm learning all kinds of things about myself during this process.  Last week I learned something else about my 40s that I have not yet embraced!  My Ma'am!

Now, if you have been raised in the South and are my age or older, you probably know what I am talking about.  We are not just taught yes and no when we learn to speak.  We are taught to say, "Yes, ma'am and no ma'am or yes sir and no sir."  We do this to show respect for our elders, and it is a term of endearment.  My sister and I became friends with someone in my early twenties who has become the big brother that we never had.  From the time that he first met my parents he referred to them as Ma'am and Sir.  Eventually he began to call my Dad by his name, but my Mom has remained Ma'am.  If I were to talk to him tomorrow he would say, "How is Ma'am doing?"  That's his way of showing both respect and love for my Mom even after all these years.  So what does this have to do with me and school?  Last week as I was coming out of the restroom at school, a young lady swung open the door and almost hit me with it.  She immediately said, "I'm sorry ma'am."  I turned around to see who was behind me only to remember that I was the only one in the restroom at the time!  I thought, "How old does she think that I am?"  A couple of days later I was waiting my turn in line to pick up my daughter from school and the handsome young police officer waved to me when it was my turn and said, "Go ahead ma'am."  Once again I thought, "How old does he think I am?"  Then it hit me.  I am 40 years old and about to be 41.  It is time to embrace my ma'am.  I expect my daughters and my students to call me ma'am.  I expect the young girls/boys who check me out at the grocery store to call me ma'am.  I wasn't quite ready for people in their 20s and 30s to call me ma'am, but today I am.  I have been blessed by God in my life.  Every right or wrong decision that I have made; every good or bad life experience that I have had; every heartache and every joy;  all of these experiences have made me wiser and beautiful in a whole new way.  I have an appreciation for life and the people that are a part of it that I didn't have 20 years ago.  So, instead of being shocked the next time that some unsuspecting "young" person calls me ma'am, I am going to embrace it with pride.  After all, it has taken me almost 41 years to earn it!