hard work and prayer

I was reminded through out the day that your prayers were with me. I really do appreciate them - each one of them. I believe in The God that answers them. Today I went through my notes over and over again - feeling as if the information I had been taking in might slip away before or during the test. As I went through the PowerPoint's - I ran across information that I had not studied. I tried to absorb and file the streams of text in my head in the last hour before the test. There came a point though that I knew that there was nothing else I could do - either I was going to get the answers right or wrong.

After arriving, Josh even gave us an hour or so to study before the test. I tried - but couldn't. I felt the more I looked at the notes and the cards - the more apt I was at confusing the information. Instead, I walked out into the misty night and joined my instructor. We talked about fatherhood, husbandhood, economics, and politics. Josh usually has the side door wedged with a shard of cement so the door won't lock on him as he steps outside to smoke. I like talking to Josh - actually I listen more than I talk. I'll throw in enough kindling to keep the conversation burning. We stood out there until a classmate stuck her head out and begged for him to go ahead and give us the final. He looked at the last inch of his cigarette and smiled, "I'm almost finished, I'll be in in a minute."

I went inside and took my seat. I wasn't nervous, just ready to get the thing over with. I wanted to do good. Josh earlier in the evening said that I could walk out on the exam and still pass. Of course I wasn't. I wanted to see what I could do. Josh came in the room a few minutes later with the test - laid one on my desk face down. The discussion questions were the last three questions on the last page. One was a bonus. I started with the last page and wrote all that I knew. I was concerned that I would forget names, examples, a step in a process, confuse characteristics with functions - but it all flowed. The discussions were involved but it all seemed to pour out of my brain and through my No. 2 as the data was needed.

I then flipped over to the front page and nailed the terms. We all are required to learn the terms from the chapters, all of them, study a hundred just to be able to match 10 terms to definitions. That was the easiest part of the test. There were other questions that I had to think about, put the answers in the right place - easy to get mixed up. There was a question that I answered partially and meant to go back - I knew there was more and thought I could think of it once I finished the rest of the test. I forgot to go back.

I was the last one to finish. Everyone had handed theirs in and went home quietly. I looked over the test when I had no more questions to answer. I looked it over and laid it on his desk. He quickly graded it - after all the time it took to take it - and said with a smile -"you made a 108!"

I got half credit for the question that I didn't go back to. I made a 108. I called Gina with the good news - she was tearful. She knows my past and my old wound. This particular class has been healing for me. The first test, the 105, resurrected Lazarus, that kid that was forced through the cracks those many years ago. This 108 was God winking. I thanked Him tonight. I thanked Gina for all of her daily sacrifices so I can study instead of being at the office working. I called mom and thanked her for her prayers. Cindy called me on my cell and said she had read the blog and prayed. Brook and Jose' prayed too. It was hard, but so great to have prayer support. I can't express my thankfulness. Most of you know me - where I'd been. It's good to have family - and dear friends. Thanks.