“When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty, trust Him fully, because two things can happen. Either He’ll catch you when you fall, or he will teach you how to fly.”

Whew! As many of you know, I started my journey to obtaining a master’s degree last year. I completed a two year program in 15 months after determining I would have my intern overlap with my classes. Going back to school after 23 years was very challenging and rewarding at the same time. During this time I was reminded of my own resilience and tenacity. I was definitely stretched far beyond the limits I placed on myself. The fear I experienced at the beginning was indescribable. While I shared this information on my blog, I only shared it with very close family members such as my husband, son, siblings and parents. I was so afraid I wouldn’t have the desire or endurance to stay the course so I kept it a secret just in case I decided to quit. The funny part is, I’m no quitter. I thoroughly think things through before I start the process. So, I knew when I started, my will to finish would power me through. But, I was still petrified. The constant thoughts of, “What if I don’t finish on time?”, “What if I decide to take a break?”; the constant what ifs paralyzed me.

Well, none of that matters anymore. I’m officially done!!! Well, kind of. I still have to take my certification exam but the most difficult part is over. Although we had a virtual ceremony, I was able to ride down to the campus and take a few pictures and then I logged in to the ceremony to watch my name scroll across the screen. Initially I was disappointed that our in person graduation was cancelled but after that last activity was submitted, I didn’t care. Nothing could stop my shine.

I write this to say to any of you that are afraid of stepping out on faith, go for it. Lots of tears, lots of prayers, but more importantly, the countless number of times I reminded myself, “Faith over fear.” Some of you are doubting your ability to do something right now, I encourage you to push past your comfort zone. “Your wings already exist. All you have to do is fly.”