Below is the play/skit/summary version of our conversations this past week.
Recently when Kevin began working on his invention related to clean energy perchance to finish and submit the proposal for a patent, he was using the CAD program he’d gotten a couple years back for the drawings.
Wednesday last week
Kevin: “I want to design things. I’d love to work for Honda. They have the most awesome company ever! Did you know they’ve won the Baja 1000 for 17 consecutive years?!…My motorcycle is riding so much smoother now that I cleaned the carbs.”
Me: “Why don’t you take an AutoCAD class?”
Kevin: “That’s a great idea!”
Me: “They may offer some through the library or a county continuing education program.”
Friday last week:
Kevin that morning: “I’m going to go to ITT and get some information about classes.”
Me: “Great! That sounds good.”
Kevin late afternoon: “I enrolled in the program at ITT.”
Me: “You did what?!”
Kevin: “I thought you’d be excited for me.”
Me: “I suggested you take a class, and you go and sign up for a 21 month $46,000 program without discussing it with me first?”
Kevin: “It all just happened so fast.”
Me: “What about work? You’re the only one with a full-time job right now. I don’t have any scheduled hours at school.”
I exit the room with my journal and a pen, needing some time to process on my own (I’m the introvert/writer/ask God first person here), before we actually have a discussion about this.
A little later that same evening:
Me: “This is a major life decision. I really think we should make big ones like this together.”
Kevin: “Maybe this isn’t meant to be. I guess I’ll just keep being miserable.”
Me: “No, I want you to be happy, excited, and have hope again, but I think we really need to discern this prayerfully. If this is God’s will for you, then all of the current obstacles to doing this will be removed (including my reservations).”
The very next day Kevin prayed all the way to work. He then was inspired to ask his supervisor about his student status. "Are you thinking of going back to school?" he asked. Kevin admitted he was and asked about the possibility of getting his schedule changed so he could take night classes two evenings a week. He says that would be fine and tells him about the tuition assistance offered through work.
My three biggest concerns had been addressed: accommodations at Kevin’s job so he could continue working full-time while attending two classes a week; affording this right now; and maybe God has something else in mind for us.
My Facebook status message as of August 29, 2015, 7:13pm
Kevin Potter has some exciting news to share. Through the grace and guidance of God, my babe is going back to school. He's registered for the ITT Technical Institute program for Drafting and Design Technology. Orientation is Sept. 10. He asked God for a clear sign that this is what he's supposed to do, and the clarity came today. Neither of us knew how we would make this work right now, but as I told Kevin last night, if this is what God wants of you, then all of the obstacles in the way will be removed. Today, the path to a degree is looking significantly clearer, and we're both hopeful for the future.
We’ve been married for 11 years this week, and we became friends when I was only sweet sixteen, so I’ve known about Kevin’s knack for research and design for 18 some years. Even soon after we met, he told me about how he regretted not finishing high school. His mom refused to sign the papers for him to go back because he had been suspended for skipping class. After getting his GED, he started taking classes towards a degree in electronic technologies at a local campus of Bryan and Stratton. Not too long after that, his employer stopped assisting him with tuition, and he couldn’t afford to continue. Returning to school has been a dream of his for a while. Apparently, now is the time.
I am very excited that all of these doors have opened so Kevin is able to go back to school, follow his dreams of continued education and furthering his research and design technical abilities and connections. When he's told people about it, we are both beaming.
Kevin: “You started it!"
Afterword: I read my husband this post, and his comment was that I didn't write enough about Honda, the company, the products, but that's my gear-head husband speaking.
He wants me to include that Honda's mantra is: The Power of Dreams, and they are the world leader in economic and eco-friendly transportation, which are only two of the many reasons why he wants to work for them. It is not possible to incorporate the extent of knowledge and enthusiasm Kevin has when it comes to Honda even for a writer like me. When I've gotten it on video, I promise to post that on my blog, too.
