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Sunday, June 04, 2006

The Graduate

For three and a half years now, I've been sleeping with a university student. Scandalous, eh? What's a mature woman like me doing hopping into bed with a student? It gets worse... that student fathered my children! And I'm not the least bit ashamed of this love affair.
Well, the truth is, this particular student is one year older than me, and today, he is a graduate. Yes, I'm married to him, so no, it's not an illicit affair. He is my beloved. I've been married to him for nearly thirteen years, and I intend to stay married to him for a whole lot longer.
To the average observer, this might seem like just an ordinary graduation, ending with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in History. But let me tell you, this is no ordinary graduation. Few people attend their first graduation at forty-one years of age - with a GPA of 3.2.

But that's not all... this graduation represents so much more than three and a half years in school. This graduation represents a great victory. Victory over so many demons of the past. Demons of self doubt and fear. Demons of anxiety disorder and depression. Demons that made him drop out of school before he made it to high school. Demons that made him try to end his own life.

I can hardly describe the wave of emotion I felt as he walked on stage and accepted his diploma. I am so incredibly proud of him - this man that I love so deeply. He's living out his dream, and teaching his daughters that it's never too late to "go for the gusto". He is my hero, and I'll keep sleeping with him for a long time, even if it means he's a student for a few more years and I don't get to retire yet. :-)

I love you Buddy.

13 comments:

ccap said...

I can hardly describe the wave of emotion I felt as he walked on stage and accepted his diploma.

Yeah, me too! I'm proud of you too, schoolboy.

Anonymous said...

I second that emotion.

I was crying when I saw him walking up to the podium, thinking about all of the sacrifices that he has made over the years (as well as the sacrifies that you all had to make as a family). It was a truly amazing feeling.

I am so proud of you, brotha. You made it. All I can say is...well done.

J-L

Anonymous said...

Hey! We're all so proud of you! Way to go! I can just imagine how proud Dad would have been too, and what animated discussions you'd have had with him along this journey. You're an inspiration to us all!

mmichele said...

wow.

what a thrill.

m

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to both of you!!!

oshee said...

What a wonderful thing to stick with and accomplish. He truly is an excellent example to your children.

Janet said...

Heather,

I'm SO touched by the story...and by the way you wrote it so beautifully! Congratuations to your entire family! I'm happy to have "met" such inspirational people via blogging!

You were most certainly NOT "fumbling for words" when you wrote THIS blog entry, Heather! ;)

Janet

(lordcelery.blogspot.com)

Dale said...

Felicitations, mon vieux!

I'm speechless, for once.

Anvilcloud said...

An amazing feat. You're both amazing actually. It takes a committed partner to facilitate such an accomplishment.

Hope said...

fsfugabcBeautiful post.
It remids me of something I read in Ann Launders Column. A reader wrote into ask if she should go back to school and become a doctor, which was always her dream. She worried about her age and the fact that it would take 8 years. Ann replied, "And how old will you be in eight years, if you chose not to follow your dream?"

Hope said...

whoops, I got a bit distracted , left my computer and somehow typed the word verification at the beginning of my post. i was not swearing!!!

Anonymous said...

well done, Marcel. Way to go. Took more grit than a lot of people use in a lifetime.

Linda said...

I too, am so impressed. Congratulations to you both!