Mastah B

Friday morning, sweaty palms and all, I headed down to the Chicago campus of National-Louis to present at my thesis defense. One year of reading, dedication, self-discipline and draft after draft later I sat at the table. Two hours later I came out of the conference room feeling totally validated, complimented and encouraged. Who would have thought that two hours presenting on and answering questions regarding my thesis would be such a wonderfully powerful experience?

I've known since I was 15 that I wanted to be a therapist. I consider this a blessing because as a career counselor, I know how hard it can be for people to not identify with what they want to be when they grow up. While I have always have known in my heart that my vocational talent lies in counseling, it was so euphoric to hear it from the mouths of clinicians and professors.

The spirit rejoices in hearing what it already knows.

And it was a spiritual moment for me . . . to be encouraged to go on for my PhD, to publish parts of my thesis, etc.

I am tired and ready to send in the final draft to be bound; but at the same time I know that this is something bigger. . that I have learned some immeasurable things through this process and do feel as though I've mastered something.

The question still remains as to what type of schooling I will do next and when I will do it. If you ask me what I'm going to do with my degree right now I will give you a blank stare. . . JVS would laugh at me if I asked for a raise . .
good ol' non-profit world. And our quest for a baby still remains a mystery. But regardless of my job or my pay, I have been stretched and encouraged


and for that I am thankful.