EDUCATION = FUTURE IF YOU THINK EDUCATION IS EXPENSIVE, TRY IGNORANCE.
Derek Bok
I'm been thinking about college a lot lately. With my granddaughter, Cate, making plans for school this fall, it got me to thinking about what could have been. You see, I applied to UNI (University of Iowa) back in 1970. I ranked 4th in my class in high school and I tried really hard to do the best I could in my studies and extra-curricular activities. I remember asking my mother if I could go on to college. I really can't recall how she answered, but evidently I took it as a "yes".
Those were the days when you did not know how much money your parents had and you did not inquire about it. Well, I must have been in a pink haze, because I blindly went about my business, earning $30 for the dorm room deposit. I baby sat for another farm couple, who had two little kids. I was paid a crummy 45 cents per hour ( which was incredibly cheap even back then), And when the parents got home - usually quite tipsy - the wife would actually sit down with pencil and paper, and figure out how much they owed me, and heaven help us all, if there was a half hour involved,! It took her forever.
Anyhoo, I saved up my money. BUT, the deposit for my tuition was another $50, which I did not have and didn't have a clue where it was going to come from. Never-the-less, I completed a bunch of papers to apply for financial assistance and gave them to my parents to finish filling in the particulars concerning their finances. And then I waited. Nothing was said about getting ready for college. No one mentioned anything about when I was to leave for school, and how I was going to get there. When there was no information forthcoming, and it had turned to autumn, I finally wrote UNI and informed them that I would not be attending their school. Nothing more was said in my household, and I went out, got a job, and a year later became a wife. And I'm happy to say that it has been a good, interesting life.
Skip forward lots and lots of years. After my dad passed away 2 1/2 years ago, I got the job of sorting through all of his and Mom's papers. Guess what I found? I was shocked to find the check made out to UNI for $30 (I had given my babysitting money to Mom at the time, and had her write out the check, since I didn't have my own account). Back then, if you sent someone a check and the transaction had not been officially completed, they would not deposit your money, but would send you back the original check. THEN I also found a returned original check that Mom had written, made out to UNI for the $50 tuition deposit!!!! They must have intended for me to go, but just never said anything! It really warmed my heart. Oddly enough, I also found the financial papers that had not been completed by the folks. I wonder if they were unsure how to fill them out, so they just put them aside. Who knows.
I feel that when things like this happen, it must be meant to be. It 's just something that diverts us along a slightly different path.
To make a long story short, I am so happy that my Cate will be officially going off to college this fall.
Oh, and the $3 that I mentioned in this post's title.? Well, when I did a load of laundry today (jeans) I found three one dollar bills in the washer. Then I remembered that last week I had washed a load of jeans and had found (you got it!) three one dollar bills. At that time, I had laid them out to dry and then put them in my pocket. These must be the same stinking bills from last week. I guess you could say that I have really gotten into "money-laundering".
GOD BLESS YOU ALL