A chance you got that not everyone gets.

There are many things in life that one gets a ‘chance’ to do! A trip, a job, an education… But what did I get a chance to do that not everyone does. For me? This meant my education.

Why?

Because of my husband. There are a lot of ‘what if’ statements in this story.

What if I hadn’t met him? What if he hadn’t come along? What if he hadn’t agreed to support me when I went back? What if he had made a different choice when I decided to go back to school without a serious discussion with him?

Now, people have told me I would have found a way to get my education if I hadn’t had him in my life. That I would have done it anyway because it was important to me. That I would have taken a larger student loan, found a small apartment (or roommates) and struggled my way through the three years of school all on my own.

The truth is, I would not have. I know this about me. Doing school, alone, would have been impossible. My first year, I sold my car to pay the tuition and buy my books. It just covered it. I was banking on getting unemployment insurance to support myself. However, my claim was denied… Because I didn’t ask permission of the government to quit and retrain. The logic of the government was my mediocre job was good enough. So I was flat broke. I needed every single free hour to study. There was no time to get a part time job. If had to work, I couldn’t have been as successful. I didn’t sleep much as it was, add a job to that, and I believe I may have passed, but would I have had good enough grades to get into my program? Win the bursaries? I don’t know.

Then there is my next two years. By this point, my husband saw the positives of my returning to school. He understood how this stood to benefit us both, and was ‘on board’. The support was there and he was now pitching in – cleaning the kitchen after I made dinner so I could get right to homework and studying.

I had to take student loans to fund my next venture in school. But my husband was insistent that I take as little as possible, enough to pay tuition and books (and supplies). He would take care of us financially.

If I didn’t have him, the chance I had to return would have never been made available. I know this, my family knows this, and my husband knows this. While I did the work, made the grades, and wrote the tests. My husband was quietly working in the background keeping our house and home running.

His love, support, encouragement, and kindness kept us going for three very long years. I can never repay or truly express how he changed my life by being there for all that time.

He changed my life by giving me that chance. By taking that chance and going on that first date with me way back in November of 1998. I am eternally grateful and will forever love him for caring enough for taking that leap with me.

Post inspired by 30 Days of Gratitude by Ordinary & Happy