I simply must brag, or I will burst!

Tonight we are going to an awards ceremony at the junior college the Zman attends.

One of his essays has been chosen to be published in the literary magazine that the college puts out once a year! His English Composition teacher convinced him to submit an essay he wrote for her class entitled "PopTarts for Dinner". He was hesitant. She insisted.

Bless her.

His was selected. And, in fact, he will read it at the ceremony tonight! (He's a little nervous about that. I would be, too.)

And he'll be a published author. Or, as he says, "Published but not paid!"

Better than me. I'm neither!

But the thing that makes this so very sweet is that this is the son who was so very sure that he could not write. All through homeschooling it was like pulling teeth. We tried every kind of writing program. Nothing clicked with him. And I mean nothing. I could build a small fortress with the homeschool writing program materials I bought. All fell to pieces within the first few lessons. Tragedy and anger and tears. I made him write some, but finally decided that it was something he would learn when he had to do it.

Then God put Ms. Altheria Gaston-Clark in Zman's way, and the rest is history. Something about her matched up with him. She told him it was OK that he wrote slowly. She convinced him somehow that it was important to write and rewrite. She broke him, at least partially, of his attempts to do it "perfectly the very first time", which is what he had always wanted to do. And nothing I could do or say ever got through to him.

There's an old proverb: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." For us she appeared in the guise of a wonderful woman teaching at a junior college. Because of her and her relationship with Zman, he is now an excellent student with the confidence that he can acheive in a college setting.

And on his part, the Zman has worked hard--pouring countless hours into his work for school. He is showing us a dedication that makes us so proud of him.

It's a good day. A very good day!