Thanks be to God!!

He did it!

I mentioned a while back that I would be a puddle when this week came upon us-I wasn't kidding, I have been. What a week!

God has been so very good to this child! We have witnessed many miracles in his life.

There have been so many ups, downs, challenges and triumphs through his educational career. Many having to do with the fact he has a moderate bilateral sensorinueral hearing loss.

There is so much I could tell you about his journey. I started to do that in this post but it just got too long.

Many years ago, I was on my way to yet another meeting to discuss his educational needs and requirements to be successful in the classroom with his degree of hearing loss. I was really uptight and anxious, as the anticipation of these meetings always had a way of tying me up in knots. My friend prayed with me and asked our Lord that my children (his sister is also hearing impaired) would always have optimal learning conditions, not just satisfactory but optimal as far as teachers, classroom placement, equipment, whatever they needed. We finished our prayer, I was very peaceful and went off to my meeting. That particular meeting could not have gone better.

Our son came to us in eighth grade and told us that he really wanted to attend catholic high school after attending "See you at the Pole" at his public junior high school. "See you at the Pole" happens all over the country one day a year before the school day starts. Students and teachers and parents of faith gather around the flagpole at there school and offer prayer for their country, government, teachers and fellow students. He was very moved by this experience having never experienced prayer at school before, he had always attended public school.

It wasn't exactly an ideal time for us to be taking on a hefty tuition bill. In faith, we went to an open house at the catholic high school spoke to some people, one of which was the business manager. We were very impressed by the school and went home and dismissed the idea as impossible. We got a phone call in August from that same business manager saying our son kept coming to her mind, and she would like to see if we could make it possible for him to attend. She did, and he began just weeks later.

(caution; these next sentences could be construed as bragging, but actually are intended to give God his due praise)

He thrived at this school in every way.

These past few days, starting with the awards ceremony he received 3 awards, one of which was an unexpected scholarship for character and service. The following evening at the baccalaureate Mass he sang the responsorial psalm, you know I cried. Music can be difficult for a hearing impaired person because they simply cannot hear at some frequencies. It has become a strength for him. Last night he received a diploma from a school which we could not afford. But God inspired people to help us along the way.

The college process has been a new and interesting experience. For the last couple of months he has been settled on attending a local state university and live at home while working to pay his way through, which seemed like the most sensible and economical option.

Last week we got a call from the college of his dreams, which happens to be a really wonderful Catholic university, the one he began researching in eighth grade. Once again, an admissions officer remembered him. She called with additional scholarship hoping that would enable him to attend. It has, and he will, and we couldn't be more happy or grateful.

A couple of weeks ago our pastor mentioned in his homily that old adage, if we reach for the stars we might reach the mountaintop but if we reach for the mountaintop we might never leave the village. God shows me again and again to reach for the stars.

My son is a good student, but not the best in his class by any means. What made the business manager at the high school or the admissions officer at the college of his dreams remember him? I believe it was a Holy Spirit nudge, God's favor. I think it had much less to do with my son's abilities than it had to do with God's grace and goodness.

"For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26