Time on my hands

It feels like it's been so long since I've had extra time to use as I please. Today, I'm just sitting here browsing and working on my genealogy. I have so much data to verify and keep up to date. Most of the time, when I speak of genealogy, people's eyes begin to glaze over. I can already see it happening to you. Well, if there is a you... Anyway, I hate history, but when it comes to my family research, I can't get enough of it! Since I purchased the new Family Tree Maker software, it's become even easier to keep things organized and updated as well as finding new tid bits of history. I just love it!

The next month is going to drag by, I can just feel it. I've finally finished the application process for nursing school. The deadline is Dec. 3 and the acceptance letters will go out on Dec. 13th. They seemed super hopeful and super impressed with all of my scores as well as my grad in the prerequisite class, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I have a feeling that all my studying and hard work is going to pay off.

I was required to take Medical Terminology as the prerequisite and received a final grade of 99%. I also had to take two entrance exams. The first one was the TABE test (Test of Adult Basic Education) which basically says that you can read at a specific equivalency to a high school grade. The requirememt was to receive an 11 (11th grade reading equivalency/vocabular/grammar/mathematics) and I got a 12.9 - the highest score you can achieve. The other test was called the HESI Test. It's a nursing entrance exam; I got an 87.62% and the average is 73%. I rocked that one! So, saying that I'm feeling pretty great at this point would be an understatement!

Also required was a criminal background check along with a physical. Holy money!! Since I'm so o.l.d. I never received a vaccination for chicken pox, because I "got" the chicken pox, so I had to get a titer to verify that I have an immunity to the varicella virus- which of course I do because I've had the chicken pox twice... Fortunately, I had copies of my immunizations from the time I was an infant all the way through high school so I didn't have to get titers for everything else as well. Doing all of these things without health insurance can be seriously, brutally, expensive. But, I made it through and it's all done and I can breathe for a few months until the program starts.

Tonight is my home group. It's a closed women's meeting. Lately, because of the former sponsee situation, I've been dreading going. She's still gossiping and hurting people and nothing has changed. There are a few things I need to remember: Q-Tip (Quit taking it personally) and consider the source. Normally, I don't have a problem pointing out to others that "it's not about you" but in this case I can't seem to give myself the same advice. I need to revisit steps 6&7 and get out of this self-centeredness and judgement and just move the hell on. I'm sure another 4th step wouldn't hurt the situation either... My sponsor and I are going to take another approach at the steps in the next few weeks- a perspective from the Fransciscan Sisters.

Here is my prayer for this week:
Gracious God, thank you for the moment of clarity which brought me to my knees, the moment of sanity in which I could finally admit my powerlessness. Give me the courage to look at the unmanageability in my life that I might make an option for life, for the wellness that you wish and desire for me.
Amen.