Response to Going Someplace Special

Throughout my life, there have been many special places. For a long time, it was wherever my mom and dad were--home. I loved visiting both of my grandparents--one set in the bayou country of Norco, Louisiana and one set in the hills of central Louisiana--Alexandria. Both of their homes were filled with hugs, love, good food, comfort and security.

Later in life, someplace special became school. I loved the books, teachers, friends, learning and challenges. I even loved the smell of crayons, paste, freshly run dittos, and newly-sharpened pencils. I loved to read and my mom filled our home with books that were checked out from the library and school readers ordered as teacher review copies. I read all the basal readers and literature books before I was 13 and had nothing new to read in school assignments until late in high school as a result. In the pages of the books, I was home.

After college, I became a teacher and soon my definition of home extended to include Pearl Watson Junior High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The faculty and staff became my extended family. But that was just a short time, because I soon met a handsome young army officer who became my husband, best friend, and personification of family. We quickly had three children and then home for me became wherever my husband was and my children. I thought this was the perfect definition for "home."

Abruptly, home changed for me. In August 2003, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Quickly the doctors determined determined it has metasticized to the liver. I had a 20% chance to live. Faced with that reality and the accompanying chemo and its side effects--there was no place special to go to get away from that. Where was home?

Day after day, I went to daily mass at St Maria Goretti's. Short of breath, dragging around a portable chemo pump, tummy hurting from tumors and chemo side effects, I immersed myself in the Liturgy and the Eucharist. Afterwards, I would quietly sit in the chapel, for Eucharistic Adoration. I repeated the name of Jesus over and over, immersing myself in His spirit. One day, I looked up and realized that Jesus was with me, and in me, and that was where my home was now--my someplace special.

I have survived that cancer and continue to get maintenance treatments. In that closeness to God, I find a freedom knowing that my somepalce special is always with Him. It's not tied to a person or people or a geographical place, but I just open the door of my hear tand He is there with me.

With that knowledge, I now close the door to my time at UTA and walk through a new door to a new adventure working at the University of Hawaii and living in Hawaii. No longer afraid of new places or challenges I know that my Lord is with me, directing me there to do His work. I look forward to working with the Hawaii State Writing Project, teaching classes, having fun building a new life with my husband and being there for my daughter, grandson and new twin grandsons who will be here by Christmas. I take each of you with me in my heart and look forward to growing with you--knowing that in Christ--there are no geographical boundaries and that we are all in that "someplace special."