Academics is part of it all.

Okay, here she is finishing up something we wondered about.  I remember ever so clearly the day she took a test she couldn't do, she was a third grade home schooled child taking her SAT and unable to read the questions properly..she knew she was in trouble and that she was supposed to be able to do this.   And the day we pulled her out of international school at the end of her third quarter because she was failing all her core subjects and failure driven learning never did work well for her.  I remember wondering if she would read ever and wondering about High School ..and possibly college?  I remember when we had her tested for learning disabilities and the psychologist told me everything I already knew deep in my heart,  I was happy to have an expert confirm that for me.  I remember her first week in a small Christian school, after making a plan for her to succeed..with her different way of learning...the principal of the school leaning down into my car window and telling me.  "we love your girl".  I wept all those times.  Another principal called me into his office and made a commitment to me, he asked me to make a commitment too, that she would graduate from their school and we would do this together.  Her SAT scores weren't acceptable for college entrance and we had to have another learning assessment for college admissions.  Her tester told me she was spatially brilliant while dyslexic; and the severity of her learning disability alongside her completion of High school, clearly indicated she had amazing coping skills that might possibly get her through college. I cried all those times too.

And now today she is finished with academia at least for now.  She is graduating in 5 hours.  Not everything is perfect for her, she is still in those 20's, those years full of a different kind of learning but her heart is the same and her determination and "spatial brilliance" still leaves me full of joy and pride.  Life hasn't been easy for her,  she's the different one, the adopted one, the African-American one, the one who struggles to read..but she is a loved person.  People who see her heart, find compassion and humor and strength.

I wish I could be there today, sitting on the chair, maybe in the hot sun, and share in her pride and confidence that she can do what she sets out to do and that there is a good plan for her and amazing Jesus is right there with her, possibly in her ear with a song.

Love you Dani!