Schooling at 44

Schooling at 44

So, one day, while interpreting college courses, I decided to go back to school. One class at a time because I can’t handle 18 hours a semester interpreting and more than 3 of my own. So, I started with a computer course, Introduction to computers. Boy was this easy. I got an A. So, then I decided to take another easy course, Conversational Spanish. I got an A. Well, I decided to bite the bullet and take a hard class, English 101 Composition. I really was worried about this class, I am an exceptionally poor writer, but was bound and determined to get a B. I got an A.

This was my first essay:

The Beginning
One day in 1992, I was at the base airport waiting for my husband to return from a mission. Waiting with me were my children, ages eight, seven and three showing my need for a babysitter. While waiting, I spoke with a major in my husband’s unit and found that he had something I needed, babysitters. He had four sons, three of which babysat. This began my association with the Killgore clan and Jehovah’s Witnesses. A religion I never knew existed with beliefs that were new and unfamiliar. This new association would bring answers to questions I had never voiced and repercussions I was not expecting.
One day I called for a babysitter and started a conversation with the major’s wife, Charlotte.
After lining up her son, Jake, to baby-sit, Charlotte and I continued our conversation. This was the beginning of my association with the Killgores. I asked if she was going to the upcoming Christmas Party the unit was having. Charlotte told me they did not celebrate Christmas and when further prompted said that she was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Having never heard of this religion I was curious. We spoke on the phone almost daily, me asking religious questions that I had been hesitant to ask before and Charlotte answering them using the Bible. I thought this interesting; no one had ever explained their beliefs by using the Bible as their sole source.
Our conversations continued for a little more than a year. Early on one question prompted me to start taking our religious conversations seriously. This concerned the concept of heaven. Who goes there, and would animals be there? Animals figure greatly in my life and I could not imagine eternity without them. I said that if there were no animals in heaven that I was not sure I wanted to go. Her response was, “You are not going to heaven, so it’s okay”. I asked why. She said that only a select few are resurrected to heaven, the others would be resurrected here on Earth. She supported this belief by going back to the Bible and showing me where to find this information. I was hooked! This was truly the beginning of my association with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I wanted explanations. I wanted answers. Although I was not planning to convert, I decided to accept a Bible study. It was one day a week and anywhere from two to four hours. I asked many questions. After many questions and answers, I finally accepted this at the true religion. There was no pressure to convert to becoming a Witness. The study was a teaching program, from which I learned and appreciated The Truth.
My conversion has not come without effects being felt in the home. My husband is not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but has come to accept that I believe my religion as true. In the beginning, he was not supportive of my faith, without really opposing it either. It was not long, though, until he realized that nothing was going to change my mind. Now the support is one hundred percent. Our older daughter is a baptized Witness of Jehovah and very faithful. Our son is currently having a crisis of faith, but I remain hopeful that he will return. Our younger daughter is studying and making progress. Life in your household, although religiously divided, is happy.
Fourteen years ago I started down a path I did not know I was seeking to a life I did not know I was missing. I am still enjoying a wonderful experience. I believe it has made me a better Mom; I listen to my children more rather than just yelling at them, wife; I have learned the meaning of headship and that this is not a demeaning position for a woman, and person; my relationships with others are stronger. I enjoy life more today, and have a greater appreciation of what is to come.

Who would have thought that I was able to get an A in any class, let alone English, the last time I went to college I carried a 1.3 average, now I am carrying a 4.0. Boy, is that daunting. I have to keep it up. I am taking 2 college courses now, Office Accounting and Internet Communications. I already got 100 on my first test in Internet Communications and have my first test in Office Accounting on Monday.

So, that is what I have been doing lately. Along with knitting and crocheting, but that is another blog.