I have the flu! I was up most of last night, and if it was not the final teaching week, and if I did not have two meetings that will keep me on campus late, and if it was not open enrollment for my health insurance, and IF I did not have a big report in, maybe then, I could/would have stayed home sick. However, that was not my reality today and I did have other commitments that required that I pull myself together and get moving.
Weirdly enough, my students all kind of look the way that I feel. They are shot. They are dragging! They are thinking just one more paper and then maybe, just maybe, I will be done for the semester. Then as it always does, instructors add just one more thing to their already HUGE pile of work that needs to be done before the semester is complete.
I love my job . . . I have always loved my job teaching at the Tribal College. It is like my extended family and I am willing to drive 12 hours a week just to be a part of something that is way bigger than I am. All college kids are inspiring, but my students here are an inspiration to me. So many of them have such unique stories that led them to this place where they could come and get their education. And for some reason, each of their journeys led them to WETCC, where their lives would leave fingerprints all over mine.
These young men and women are an inspiration. Most live below poverty level and just getting here can be a major obstacle. Transportation is an issue a lot of the time and as the fall turns into winter, that reality becomes harsher. Most have kiddos that require a ton of their time outside of the classroom. Daycare is an issue, and sometimes I will have a kiddo that accompanies a mom or dad to classes. Most are not the typical 18 year old fresh out of college, and as I sit here today, 5 are sitting with me in a classroom, just because they can, on their laptops diligently working to complete their final assignments. Many have challenges, scars, and difficulties that nobody knows about; however, all ARE an inspiration!
I love their stories that have now become woven into my own life's path. I have students that have disappeared and then they mysteriously return. I have watch some come and struggle, but then with incredible perseverance, they manage complete one class, then another, and another. I have watched those same students walk across the graduation stage with an incredible amount of pride. Often I feel like a mama bird, and on occasion, I have told them that mama duck is proud!
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Sarah Day 7
Mom isn't the only one who has been swamped this week. I am wrapping up my first semester of graduate school. I had two final presentations yesterday, plus I am still playing catch-up on assignments from when I was working on the campaign. On top of that, the wedding is only 52 days away and we still have A LOT to do. So after working on homework non-stop for the last two weeks, I decided I could take a break today and work on our invites. Of course I suckered Jesse, Jordan and Sam into helping me. I'm REALLY lucky that I do not have the flu cause there is no time to be sick.
Jordan and Sam have lived across the street from us for a few weeks now. I think we all find it pretty convenient. Jesse has a bigger vehicle so we have been helping them with some furniture that they bought, and we have the wedding coming up so they helped us with invites. It all works out! The four of us have been talking about getting together once a week or so to have dinner. Tonight, Jordan and Sam cooked but next time we will do the cooking.
Having Jordan and Sam around has reminded me how much I miss being back home in Thief River with my friends and family. Mom comes to visit quite frequently which is nice, but Dad doesn't come here that often. I miss being able to hang out with my pa and my kitties back home. Or going over to Mom's place to spend the night. Why did I ever take quality time back home for granted?
I think as we grow up, we tend to wish the time away. All we want to do is move out, go to college, and make new friends. We want to see as much of the world as we can and we want to make a life of our own. We don't take the time to enjoy the journey, and we often forgot how amazing it was to be at home, young and carefree. I'm not saying that we shouldn't take advantage of opportunities when they arise, because we should. And growing up to create a life of our own is inevitable, that's par for the course. I'm just saying we should take more time to stop and smell the roses.
My home has changed quite a bit over the last few years. My parents drifted apart and learned that they were not as compatible as they once thought. It's unfortunate, but worse things could have happened. One of my cousins once asked me if I liked spending time at my mom's house or my dad's house better. Mom and I talked in our blog the other day about how Christmas is a feeling. I think home is also a feeling, so my cousin's question really had me thinking.
Dad's house is my home. That's where I grew up and created all of my memories. That's where our family had our happiest of happy times. I remember waking up early on a warm summer day and going downstairs to the smell of coffee and fresh cut crass. Mom would be cleaning up the house a little, or baking cookies, and Dad would be outside doing yard work or building something. Jordan usually slept in late, and our cat, Fluffy would be lying in the sunny spot on the deck. I remember the birds would be singing beautiful songs all day.
Unfortunately, times have changed and Dad's house doesn't feel quite the same anymore. I still enjoy spending my time with him just as much as I always have. We like to hang outside on the deck, watch 3D movies and eat potato chips and french onion dip, or go on his trails through the woods on the 4-wheeler. Dad and I have a lot of things we like to do together, but our physical house is not the same. I don't think it will ever be the same because all of the pieces are not there anymore. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just life.
Mom's house is very quaint. It's a small country home surrounded by trees. She usually has yummy candles burning with the a little lamp turned on and a movie playing. She has lots of blankets to cuddle in and big cozy chairs. When I spend the night with her, we usually order China King and chit-chat for a couple hours about life. In the summer time, there are always dozens of birds eating from the bird feeders, and her three kitties meander inside and out, usually following her around. In the winter, she has her Christmas tree up with presents beautifully wrapped underneath, and Christmas music playing. Mom's house feels like home, but it doesn't have the childhood memories.
So I have decided that I can have both places be my favorite, and both places can be home. Home is definitely a feeling, but the feeling of home is created by the people who are inside. Wherever Dad is, that is home. And where Mom is, that is home. In 52 days, wherever Jesse is, that is home. Home will always be where ever my people are. Regardless of what the physical house is like. House+Love=Home.
Sarah
Mom isn't the only one who has been swamped this week. I am wrapping up my first semester of graduate school. I had two final presentations yesterday, plus I am still playing catch-up on assignments from when I was working on the campaign. On top of that, the wedding is only 52 days away and we still have A LOT to do. So after working on homework non-stop for the last two weeks, I decided I could take a break today and work on our invites. Of course I suckered Jesse, Jordan and Sam into helping me. I'm REALLY lucky that I do not have the flu cause there is no time to be sick.
Jordan and Sam have lived across the street from us for a few weeks now. I think we all find it pretty convenient. Jesse has a bigger vehicle so we have been helping them with some furniture that they bought, and we have the wedding coming up so they helped us with invites. It all works out! The four of us have been talking about getting together once a week or so to have dinner. Tonight, Jordan and Sam cooked but next time we will do the cooking.
Having Jordan and Sam around has reminded me how much I miss being back home in Thief River with my friends and family. Mom comes to visit quite frequently which is nice, but Dad doesn't come here that often. I miss being able to hang out with my pa and my kitties back home. Or going over to Mom's place to spend the night. Why did I ever take quality time back home for granted?
I think as we grow up, we tend to wish the time away. All we want to do is move out, go to college, and make new friends. We want to see as much of the world as we can and we want to make a life of our own. We don't take the time to enjoy the journey, and we often forgot how amazing it was to be at home, young and carefree. I'm not saying that we shouldn't take advantage of opportunities when they arise, because we should. And growing up to create a life of our own is inevitable, that's par for the course. I'm just saying we should take more time to stop and smell the roses.
My home has changed quite a bit over the last few years. My parents drifted apart and learned that they were not as compatible as they once thought. It's unfortunate, but worse things could have happened. One of my cousins once asked me if I liked spending time at my mom's house or my dad's house better. Mom and I talked in our blog the other day about how Christmas is a feeling. I think home is also a feeling, so my cousin's question really had me thinking.
Unfortunately, times have changed and Dad's house doesn't feel quite the same anymore. I still enjoy spending my time with him just as much as I always have. We like to hang outside on the deck, watch 3D movies and eat potato chips and french onion dip, or go on his trails through the woods on the 4-wheeler. Dad and I have a lot of things we like to do together, but our physical house is not the same. I don't think it will ever be the same because all of the pieces are not there anymore. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just life.
Mom's house is very quaint. It's a small country home surrounded by trees. She usually has yummy candles burning with the a little lamp turned on and a movie playing. She has lots of blankets to cuddle in and big cozy chairs. When I spend the night with her, we usually order China King and chit-chat for a couple hours about life. In the summer time, there are always dozens of birds eating from the bird feeders, and her three kitties meander inside and out, usually following her around. In the winter, she has her Christmas tree up with presents beautifully wrapped underneath, and Christmas music playing. Mom's house feels like home, but it doesn't have the childhood memories.
So I have decided that I can have both places be my favorite, and both places can be home. Home is definitely a feeling, but the feeling of home is created by the people who are inside. Wherever Dad is, that is home. And where Mom is, that is home. In 52 days, wherever Jesse is, that is home. Home will always be where ever my people are. Regardless of what the physical house is like. House+Love=Home.
Sarah
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