When Things Are Beyond My Control

The reason I have been stressing out lately is that S did not make a 30 on the ACT. If you don't have teenage children then you probably don't realize the importance of this. Several schools offer scholarships based on test scores. At 30, Auburn pays full tuition for 4 years. Here is a list of what it costs to attend Auburn for one year. Some of the items they list for cost to attend are negotiable, but not tuition. Plus, tuition has a habit of going up each year. So that is why the 30 is so important.

Since she had taken the test several times, and saw her score go up each time, we were expecting that 30 to turn up before the December 1 deadline. Unfortunately she seems to have topped out at 29. Still respectable, but only worth $2,500 a year. To add to my worries she had no back-up plan. She hadn't applied to any other schools or applied for any other scholarships. (That's a lie--she has applied to a few "lottery" style scholarships where they just pull a name out of a hat.)

In the last week she has applied to another state school--Montevallo-- and a private school--Birmingham Southern College. She has signed up to take the ACT in December with the hope she can still get that 1 lousy point. The deadline for both of these other schools is in January. I also took matters into my own hands and called Auburn. They said they might look at her new score, but wouldn't guarantee anything.

So that is what has been bothering me.

Now, why shouldn't I be worried? Because no matter how bad things have ever looked in the past, they have always worked out. God has always provided for us--economically and emotionally. So why would this situation be any different? I am thankful for such amazing kids. I am thankful they are so well-adjusted after we have dragged them all over the place. I am thankful that they are so smart. I am thankful they have good juudgement. I am thankful that every night before they go to bed they give me a hug and say "I love you." I am thankful for their health. I am thankful for the joy I see in each of their lives. I am thankful that even when I am blowing things out of proportion, they keep life in perspective. I am thankful that even though I don't deserve such wonderful kids, they are mine anyway--at least for a little while. How's that for an early Thanksgiving?