Sunday, September 13, 2009

Dad Is Proud!!!

I recently talked to our youngest daughter, A., and have some good news to report: she has been accepted to med school with a full scholarship, and the university of Ohio pursued her, based on her previous high grades (straight A's) as she worked damn hard to become a psychologist!

A. left home to join the Army and requested to go to Iraq or Afghanistan, but instead the Army kept her at Fort Bragg during the duration of her service.
While serving her country in the 81st Airborne, she took night classes to become a psychologist, and after her tour of duty she continued to pay her own way to get her degree. Then she worked at Fort Bragg after becoming a psychologist and entered grad. Awhile later she got the offer from the university of Ohio and decided to take it.

She still has to pay for her tuition the first year and books, and has quickly found herself poor again, but she's okay with that.
She was gonna get a job to help cover the costs which are still considerable, even
with a full scholarship, but the school advised against getting a job, but said if she must to only work twenty hours a week, which she is seeking to do.
Even workin' part time she will be extremely busy.
She never asked, but we're gonna send what we can so she can at least eat after payin' rent, car payment, etc..

She told me about all the folks tryin' to talk her outta goin' to med school because it is so difficult and demanding. She got suggestions to become a physicians assistant or something equivalent instead.
She was even told she couldn't do it. Heh. Wrong thing to say to A!

You see, A. never quits, and she never surrenders, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the obstacle! Becoming a psychologist, goin' to school and workin' to serve our country was no easy task.
Heck, the Army was no easy task. Workin' and goin' to junior college immediately following high school graduation and gettin' straight A's was no easy task and wth very little help from mom n' dad as far as money goes.

No, A. is a fighter, and fighters never. Ever. Give up. She simply works and fights that much harder when the goin' gets tough.

"I will accept nothing less than an M.D. after my name, Dad," she said. "I want to be a trauma surgeon."

She said something else to me on the phone and it really struck my heart, and Patti's too:

"Dad, I always remember what you and mom taught me. That I can be whatever I want if I work hard enough and truly want it. That nothing can stop me when I set a goal. To get right back up if reality knocks me down and keep on fighting no matter how many times it takes or how long I must endure. I think I got your fighting genes, Dad," she said.

Well...it was very hard to talk after that 'cause i got all choked up and tears of pride in my daughter welled up in my eyes. In fact, they are again, just writin' about it. Excuse me...

Ahem. Yeah. You know, it ain't just pride but love, and knowin' I did at least one thing right by A. all those times I talked to her about fightin' through tough times and refusin' to be a victim.
Hey, it's damn hard to explain this to anyone let alone a child, a teenager, and a young woman, but Patti and I did our best, often until our daughters eyes would glaze over.

As Gagdad Bob often tells us at his blog, One Cosmos a person can know stuff but until they actually realize it, experience it, and actualize the wisdom (nous) until it lierally becomes a part of them that is REAL, they really don't gno it.
And when we go from knowing to gnoing we transcend our self and get closer to our true Self, or the self we are destined to be, and every time we transcend we fullfill our Purpose.
Thanks Bob! :^)
A. gnos it. She gets it, and as a result she is far more mature than most folks several decades older than her.

I'm as proud as I can be, with A. and with C., our oldest daughter who also get it!
I'm beaming, if you know what I mean (no, not Jim Beaming)!
C. has also worked hard raising our grandaughter, G, and was recently promoted at Geek Squad where she works! She's doin' a fine job as a mom, which is as hard to do as any job out there, much harder than most and as hard as the hardest!
C. had a good role model in her Mom, Patti, and I'm happy as an unsteamed clam she picked up on what Patti taught her about Momhood!

Thank you, C. and A. for listenin' to Mom n' Dad and never giving up when times get rough and the whole world seems to be crashin' down upon you!

PS- Our pup, Little Miss loves blackberries and she likes to jump around like a rabbit or a roo. She also like to try n' catch moths (or anything that flies) and eat 'em, like a cat.
I keep tellin' her she's a dog. Sometimes she gets it. Like the great dane in that movie The Ugly Daschund, she has little moments when she'll proudly stand as good as any dachsi dog show champion, her head up, eyes forward, back straight, tail up at full mast, radiatin' dachsi pride!
Then she'll go back to hoppin' around, eating blackberries and catchin' moth's.
Oh. And she likes to sit on Skully's shoulder when he's sittin' down. I kid you not! Skully just goes with it and says "Arrhhh!" As if he's sportin' a parrot.

11 comments:

Joan of Argghh! said...

Oh Ben, how delightful to see you so happy and blessed! I'm grinning from ear to ear.

:o) See?

julie said...

That's wonderful news, Ben! I'm not at all surprised to hear she has your warrior spirit. I hope med school goes well for her.

In a slight bit of syncoonicity, we have a niece who came to visit this weekend so she can take the MCATs. She wants to be a doctor, too. After the test last night, she said something along the lines of "I never thought I'd really be on the other side of this dividing line - before, I was always kind of a kid, but now it seems like I'm not." That line is different for everyone, but for her it was taking that test - the definitive step towards her calling. Knowing vs. Gnowing.

The irony there is that she has always, like your daughter, been more of an adult than most adults I know.

Anyway, mostly what I meant to say was Coongratulations!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi Joan!

Thanks! She'll make a good doc, I think. She has a great sense of humor. :^)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hiya Julie!

Thank you! Syncoonicity strikes again! Coongratulations to your niece! Who knows, they may both work together someday. :^)

You're right about that line being different for everyone. It's THE line of reasoning, you might say.

BTW, I can't remember if she said Ohio State or University of Ohio, but it's one of those schools.

robinstarfish said...

You see, A. never quits, and she never surrenders, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the obstacle!

Ah, she's a chip off the ol' block, so it's no surprise she has such backbone. There's no better legacy than watching the investment in your kids pay off like that. Here's to A, B, and P!

AndrewPrice said...

Congratulations Ben! I wish her (and you) my best.

Gecko said...

That post kinda choked me up too, Ben! Pretty impressive off spring you have there doing God's important work. Coongratch!

QP said...

Oh Ben and Patti, this is wonderful news. I'm so pleased for you and all of your girls.

Van Harvey said...

Ben, nothing I can add to what A. & C. have already given you, but a big grinning coongrats!

“I think I got your fighting genes, Dad," she said.”

Yep… ehm… I’m betting she looks more like Patti in em… though.
(Skully told me to say that)

Rick said...

Ben, what a great story. I’m so happy for all of you.
You know my boy thinks he may want to become a psychologist. I swear, I had nothing to do with it :-) I’m serious. Anyway, you said:

“She told me about all the folks tryin' to talk her outta goin' to med school because it is so difficult and demanding. She got suggestions to become a physicians assistant or something equivalent instead.
She was even told she couldn't do it.”

I'll tell ya, I was surprised to receive similar responses when people ask what my son is thinking of pursuing. But more like, “Yeah? He wants to do that?” I say to myself, yeah, you’re right, there’re too many sane people around. Everyone’s havin’ such a swell time.

Anyway, great news! Onward and upward!

Jimmy J. said...

Ben,
Gee, my eyes got sweaty reading that. Guess I'm just getting to be an old softy.

There is no finer gift than children who reflect the care and love that went into their rearing. Congrats to Mom and Dad!!