inter (Nat)alia: Tender Mercies

I’ve learned why I’m not pursuing an MBA. One of my Business & Financial Literacy professors mentioned in class one day that, “this isn’t rocket science.” My mental response was, “I prefer rocket science.”

Business is not my forte.

I had inklings of this last semester in Business Associations, but this class has solidified my feelings. Too much business and not enough policy and theory for my tastes. I won’t be taking any more business classes.

On the positive side of my class schedule, I am very much enjoying Property Theory. In that class we get to discuss abstract ideas, competing theories, and phrases such as, “not sufficiently thing-like.”

On the research front, I’ve become so accustomed to electronic searches that I found myself automatically moving to press CTRL + F while I was reading a textbook the other day. Note to self: textbooks are not searchable.

I’ve also become semi-nocturnal, as far as research is concerned. I’ve done an over-large amount of research between 11 pm and 5 am this semester. This is the result of never settling into any semblance of a routine. (With only three weeks left before finals, at this point I don’t think a routine is going to happen.)

In parallel with my erratic schedule, school and life have been up and down the last little while, like rowing over rough waters. And about a week and a half ago, I was needing a hug from my mom. Unfortunately, that’s a little hard when your mom is 2,197 miles away (according to Google that’s 1 day and 9 hours of driving).

This is where the tender mercies of the Lord come in.

Over the last few months, my cousin Kristine was fighting osteosarcoma for the third time in her life. That meant surgery, chemotherapy, hospitalization, and stress and pressure and worry on her and those who love her most. After several months of fighting, Kristine learned there were more tumors, and they were inoperable.

When I start thinking law school is hard, I think of Kristine and I think that cancer is probably harder.

Kristine passed away shortly after learning her condition was terminal.

I don’t want to diminish her life by implying that Kristine’s passing was accelerated in order to help me; I only know that the Lord’s calculus is perfect, and just when I needed it, my mom was on her way to Virginia for the funeral. I soon received the hug I needed (and a bunch of other hugs in the bargain).

Kristine’s funeral was a special experience. I didn’t know her well in life; we spent most of our lives on opposite sides of the country. But I feel like I got to know her a little better by hearing her family’s stories about her strength, courage, and adventurous spirit. There was grief, but no intimation of complaint. The over-riding feeling was gratitude for her life, and rejoicing in who she is. When I think of her, I feel she fulfilled her work in this life; she made it.

It was during the funeral that I received a second tender mercy.

My heart and mind were heavy with worry about the future. Law school is constantly looking several months (or years) down the road. Students are consistently asked (always by caring and well-meaning people), “What are you doing this summer?” or “Do you have a job/internship/externship yet?” or “Where are you taking the bar exam?” The pressure to know (or at least have some idea) of what you’re going to do is almost constant. For me, that pressure was getting to be too much. I simply did not have a plan and felt I was floundering just keeping up with my week-to-week work.

And then during the funeral in what I’m sure was a response to the promptings of the Spirit, Kristine’s mom (my aunt) shared some of the thoughts Kristine had saved in her phone to help her get through the last few months. The first thought she shared was, “Sometimes you don’t need a plan.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear.

It was a reminder that even if I don’t have a plan, God always does. He knows where I need to be and what I need to do and what I need to become. He knows I need a job to pay off my school loans. He knows the kind of environment I want to be in and the kinds of jobs I dread. He knows the type of work I want to do. I needed that reminder that sometimes I just need to let go.

So thank you, Kristine. I owe you one.

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This year is the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta! Or at least part of it, according to my Trusts and Estates professor, who is an expert on the subject. You can hear about it from him and one of his colleagues by clicking here. Apparently some parts of the Magna Carta are still binding law in Virginia.

Also, Flat Stanley came to visit. It was fun to have a guest for a little while. We got some friendly smiles as we were touring Colonial Williamsburg.