Passing Strange

I successfully defended my thesis. A few revisions and I'll be an official master. As I said in my acknowledgements completing this degree has been part of a demanding, but rewarding journey. As I sat in the conference room ready to begin my defense I let go into heavy sobs. Just reflecting on the past three years is quite emotionally overwhelming. I am in awe at the capacity for us to endure and actually succeed despite the contrary... which includes the following:

• One gigantic post-traumatic stress breakdown brought on by 25 years of holding it in. (It's always a good idea to begin graduate school when your world is falling apart)
• One life-threatening anaphylactic shock resulting in a rushed entry into the emergency room.
  
• One psychotic reaction to prednisone. (My friend Heidi was witness to these first three)
  
• One threatening incident that changed the way I think about faith.
  
• One new car
• 15 parking tickets
• Two trips to skatecamp to be a skatemom
• Two years as hockey team treasurer
• One supeona to testify in court
  
• One scuba-diving certification
  
• 30 poems written
  
• 5 journals filled
  
• 400 hours of therapy.
  
• 20 years of marriage and going strong.
  
• Two teenagers.
  
• 10 university level courses taught
  
• 1 paper accepted to an international conference
  
• One graduate scholarship to IDEC
  
• 10 computer programs learned
  
• One 3.98 grade point average
  
• 8 cities traveled to for school -- London, Paris, Amsterdam, Montreal, Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, New York
  
• Countless students who were the impetus to continue, whose stories were sustaining.
  
• 6 colleagues who supported me.
  
• Countless friends, who listened and laughed with me (or at me) when I was certain I couldn't continue.
  
• One complex, interesting, adventurous, crazy family that I love.
  
• One happy, healthy DeAnn at the end.