Here We Go Again

When I completed my last post on May 9, 2010 (My thirteenth wedding anniversay, by the way, making me wonder if my posting was part of the celebration and while waiting for it.), I had all intentions of keeping my blog going. I really enjoyed my first blogging experience and though the posts were directed more by assignment deadlines than by off the cuff "in the mood to blog" moments, I found that the experience got my brain thinking in an organized way. This is something that I can honestly say doesn't naturally happen with me 24/7. So when I realized that I was going to be blogging for a second course, I decided to continue with this, my original blog. In thinking back to setting up my blog,my first post explained why I chose its name. I wrote:

"All these decisions!! And that's just to set up my first blog. The perfect name? I came up with a few but always came back to "Still Hoping After All These Years". Yes, Paul Simon came up with most of this first but I've always related to that song. The problem is I had a problem with admitting that I was crazy in my first blog attempt. I began to think about hope and how no matter what has happened to me in my lifetime, good and bad, I always felt that there was hope. The idea of what we're hoping for may change in our lives, from "I hope that Mommy doesn't serve me those mashed peas again." , through "I hope that Stanley asks me to the dance Saturday." and the "I hope it doesn't rain on my wedding day." through the "I hope that my father knew that I loved him before he died of cancer." and the "I hope that my son becomes healthy one day and doesn't have to take medication for an autoimmune illness." to a "I hope that I can get back into my music one day." to "I hope that my sons can live happily ever after doing something they're passionate about." to the current "I hope that I can keep all this straight as I try to juggle family, work, choral and guitar students, with my graduate school commitment?" I am indeed "still hoping after all these years" and have no plans of giving up."

So today, over five months later, I find that some things have changed:I was laid off from my position of LMS, my second son is off at college and I miss him dearly, and I decided to push for my certification by diving into three courses this semester, two of which require PrePracticums. I also find that some things are the same. I try to keep a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and remain "still hoping after all these years".