Thanks

If the only prayer you said in your life was "thank you," that would suffice. --Meister Eckhart
And so I say thank you, for -

• my cat sleeping next to me, touching my thigh with all four of her paws
• the sunlight burnishing the few leaves left on the trees
• meeting people with views so very different from mine, so I can continue to expand my knowledge and my curiosity about how other people choose to live their lives. We're all trying to live and survive in the world, but we choose to do that in so many ways; it's pretty amazing when I think about it, and infinitely awe-inspiring.
• having the basics - shelter, food, clothing
• having the chance to make my life more interesting, and hopefully more comfortable in the future by pursuing a degree (even if the comfortable part is only an ideal at the moment)
• my family of birth and my family of choice (because who are your friends but the community you choose to gather around you to function like a family?)
• my health (a little battered, with the still healing shoulder/ankle, but basically intact)
• my citizenship in a country that allows me to question, protest, praise, and support its policies and ideals
• my creativity and my skill with writing
• my intelligence
• my sense of humor
  
  There are so many more things, both large and small, that I'm thankful for, everyday, so many things that it's hard to even begin to list them. I am just happy to be here, in this country, on this planet, breathing in and out, and trying to learn and grow as much as I can in whatever time I have. Life is good, very, very good.

Flatlands For Now

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I've been struggling with finances. Along with this, I've been re-evaluating what I want to do, and what I can afford to do. In my quest to consider all options, I checked into the school media program at the University of Montana. I did this right before the application deadline for spring semester, and not knowing what I wanted for sure, scrambled (with much help, and you know who you are) to get my application materials in for consideration.

I've been pondering my life while I've been waiting to hear from Montana. In the same week, I finally got my official acceptance letter from U of M (classifying me as an out-of-state student, by the way) and was offered a scholarship for 6 hours of summer courses here at IU. Dilemmas, dilemmas... I now had to make some sort of decision about my life by November 7th (the scholarship acceptance deadline). This really led to some major, full scale, life pondering.

This was a difficult decision to make, but I've decided to stick it out here at IU. The program is accredited through ALA, which makes a world of difference in getting jobs. It has a good reputation (also making a difference in getting jobs). After my classes this summer, I will have 9 hours left (approximately 3 classes). I'm applying for scholarships for fall, but my hope is that I can find a job in a library, and finish the last classes through internship, independent study, and/or distance classes which won't require me to actually be at IU.

While coming back to Montana was very appealing, the school media program is not accredited by ALA (or its school library affilate organization), making it harder to find jobs. I would have had to certify to teach in a subject area, which would have meant more time in school. Although I could/would have appealed the residency decision, I think sticking it out here is the best thing for me to do. The whole point of this degree is to get a graduate degree that lends itself to employment (unlike the other 2 - third time's a charm, you know). For those of you who collaborated in my application process (and you know who you are), thank you so much. While I ended up not choosing that path, the process did help me clarify what I want, and did push me to pursue more options here that have paid off.

My plan is still to work in a library and to work with children and/or children's literature. While I vowed not to work in an academic library, I've enjoyed working in the education library, especially when it comes to helping people find kid's books. So, I could probably handle working in an academic library if it was education-related, with a children's book collection. So, for now, you know where to find me, at Lat: 39.14, Lon: -86.62, and the uneventful elevation of 866 feet.