What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

As most of you know, we have been in an epic struggle with the University of Texas for some time now for Kyle's diploma. The news came the morning after our anniversary, that once again, Kyle would not be receiving his diploma. We had been so hopeful that this last step would actually be the last, but as this is an epic struggle, the conflict must continue epically as it’s name suggests. We don’t have all of the answers to the questions, but SAC now also does not accept clep scores despite being told by multitudes of employees within the school that they do. The only lady who seemed to have the correct information was only reachable when a student demands with unrelenting persistence to speak with the person in charge. Throughout this process we have assumed we were taking steps forward, but in reality we were taking double the amount of steps backwards. At the beginning of the struggle, our only conflict had to do with Kyle’s Spanish 4 course. Now, not only has that not been resolved, he is not receiving hours for his Spanish 3 course and 2 random hours that weren’t detected before have now appeared on the radar. The only answers we have to how this happened is, “I don’t know and I don’t understand!”
The bad news: Kyle doesn’t graduate and all schools have closed their doors for class enrollment meaning that the earliest Kyle could enroll in the classes he needs is Spring. Good news: My mom, after hearing the news and was as distressed as we were, called SAC, used her Dr. title and was put through to the woman she needed to speak with immediately. My mom called to ask about what could be done. Fortunately, right at that moment, a man from Texas State was sitting in the office beside her at the time of the phone call, overheard the situation, and said that he could help. Kyle is now enrolling in three 45 day correspondence classes that can be completed for credit within 45 days. Obviously we are bummed that Kyle cannot graduate when we wanted, but we are relieved that Texas State is providing a swift solution. When Kyle originally told me the news that once again, our plans were foiled, I felt paralyzed with hopelessness. We have been through so much with this issue, but in many ways we are lucky. We haven’t been in tragic accidents or lost a close family member, we still have our health and each other. It is important in these situations to keep an even-minded perception, and remember all of our many blessings. Our lifeline of hope has been shredded to small strands of thread, but we are still holding on, if only by a thread that soon, Kyle will be a graduated man. Please keep us in your prayers. We plan to stay in Seattle until our unknown departure date. We will keep you updated as more information comes our way.

Here are some quotes that my mom sent to make us feel better:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.
(Robert Frost)

Whether you'll do it or toss it aside;
You are the person who makes up your mind
Whether you'll lead or linger behind;
Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar
Or just be contented to stay where you are.
(Edgar A. Guest)

We keep on assuming that we know the play. We do not even know whether we are in Act I or Act V--the Author knows.
(C.S. Lewis)

* from Poor Richard's Almanack (Benjamin Franklin)
To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish.

* Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
(Winston Churchill)

*"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot--and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

*Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
(Calvin Coolidge)

*Albert Einstein's explanation for his successful discoveries was..."not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

*Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific inventors with over 1,000 patents. Despite the fact that so many were flops, he continued, leaving as a legacy the light bulb, X-Ray technology, the microphone, the phonograph and more. He said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

*We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time words of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer have kept people on their feet. Blessed is the one who speaks such a word.
(William Barclay)