Today is Thursday, and that means my son's only class of the day was his Music Appreciation class, which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is the class with the dreaded 9:00am start. The class that my son has struggled to make it to on time and has missed a number of times. When you're a recovering addict who suffers from depression, getting up and getting to a class before 9:00 in the morning is not a very easy thing to do. But I give my son lots of credit for sticking with it.
The first test in this class happened a few weeks ago. My son had missed at least three classes before the test and was definitely out of touch with what was going on. As a result, he got an F on the test. That was a huge disappointment. But to his credit, he stayed after class the next time it met to talk to the instructor. He explained his situation and told the instructor he wanted to get back on track. Happily, the instructor was very supportive.
Well, fast-forward to today, a few weeks after that dreaded F. I got home from work and my son brought me his latest test from the Music Appreciation class. The grade this time? B+. And across the top of the test the instructor wrote, "Tremendous improvement!" It was such a joy to see my son excited over a test grade. I'm really proud of him. It's something I can't even put into words. I love my son so much.
That was definitely the highlight of my day. A few hours later, though, came a bit of sadness. I got a phone call from a friend of mine. This friend had a serious crack cocaine problem for a number of years. He was living in his car, committing crimes to support his habit, and lost his wife and kids. But he worked real hard to change his life and finally did so. He found God. He got clean. He got a job. He reconnected with his kids. He bought a house. He got engaged. Then several months ago, his fiancee broke up with him. This sent my friend back into the dreadful world of drugs. He disappeared. He lost his job. He went back to rehab. Then he disappeared again.
When I picked up the phone and heard his voice on the other end, I was worried, because he sounded desperate and in a hurry. When he told me that he had a "huge favor" to ask of me, I was even more worried. Then he asked me if he could "borrow thirty bucks for a couple of weeks." That was the kicker. There's only one thing he could've wanted that $30.00 for. So I had to say no.
But, did I mention? My kid got a B+ on his Music Appreciation test. How freakin' cool is that?
That is so cool about your son! Awesome. :)
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