Satisfying

This framed piece of paper marks one of my life's most satisfying moments.

When I was nineteen, I returned to the United States from England in order to attend college. But after completing only two years of the four year program, my father insisted that I take a year to work in the real world before continuing on with my degree.

At the time, I couldn't understand what on earth made him decide this, but now I realize that he was probably a bit financially strapped as he had just resigned from his old position in order to start his own company. He would have been far too proud to admit that he couldn't afford my tuition.

So, I reluctantly left the halls of academe, and plunged headlong into the adult world of work. By the end of that year, I had met and fallen in love with my husband, and ended up at the altar instead of back in school. Children quickly ensued, and I was swept up in the busy chaos of raising three little boys.

Even though I was blissfully happy, it always bothered me that I didn't finish my degree. Once my sons were all in school, I realized that I had time during the day to return to university and finish the job. And so, twenty years after I attended my first college class, I finally succeeded in graduating summa cum laude from Fairfield University with a B.A. in American Studies.

Very satisfying indeed!