25 hours a day...

With this time of year comes family and celebration and a quiet reflection of the year gone by.  It is important to be aware of the things we would have done differently to avoid mistakes of the past.  But above all, this is a time to give thanks for the blessings in our lives.  As adult college students, it is easy to be bogged down in the extra time we spend reading, studying and writing at our Lebanon NH college.  Here is what I am thankful for. 

I am thankful for my family.  Everyday I think about what wonderful people I have closest to me.  My son makes me smile everyday and brings me the most satisfaction I have ever felt.  His sister Ashlee makes me so thankful for new beginnings.  Parents of teenagers can be as difficult to get along with as teenagers themselves.  Our relationship has improved so much in the last year, and the feeling is so sweet.  His sister Emilee still seems to be the human embodiment of the famous theater symbol of the comedy/tragedy mask.  She can be so good one minute and so...so...Emilee the next.  But a great kid nonetheless.

I am thankful for the company I work for.  Hypertherm is a wonderful company, and not just because they are paying for me to go to college.  We consistently rank as one of the top companies to work for in NH, are employee owned and have great benefits and a lucrative profit sharing program.  I have been there for nearly 13 years and expect at least that many more.

I am thankful to Granite State College for providing the opportunity to finally attain the most important goal of my life: to earn my bachelor's degree.  This adult accelerated degree program makes my experience so worthwhile and fulfilling.  I cannot believe I waited this long to start my journey again, but what is important is that I am here, chipping away.  My life has improved dramatically because of my time spent here with my career advancement education.