Since making the decision to continue my education as an adult-learner, the challenges, at times, seem unsurmountable. The Covid-19 pandemic forced my hand. Challenge accepted. It was in the moments of self-doubt -- the weeks, and months of uncertainty -- that self-reinvention won the debate amid the many voices in my head that wondered, "What next?" as the travel industry was turned upside-down. It was time to take inventory again. Every few years, I can recall a time of self-reflection -- looking back over the past five years or so, thinking about the "what ifs" of going back to finish my degree. The loathing thought, "had the opportunity exisited, had I gone back during the number of years that had passed" I could be finished, or at least on a better path of completion, continually nagged at me. Alas, I felt the "Godwink" when online classes became more prevalent, out of necesssity. For me, this was an earth-shattering phenomenon, a light, and a seal of approval on the decision to return, at this moment in time, to a lifetime of longing to complete an educational quest. The time was now. I distinctively recall a still, small voice speaking nearly audibly, "So Amy, there's no time like the present. There is no excuse now. You can do this." 

Fast-forward nearly two years -- despite a myriad of pre-existing health issues as well as lagging effects of having dealth with Covid firsthand on three occasions, as well as the after-effects of what would be diagnosed and treated as Long Covid -- with gratitude, I have managed, with the strong support system of professors, mentors, and peers, to complete two-thirds of the credits required for my Associates Degree in Visual Arts as well as the Mellon Research Fellowship. Project Heritage Quilt, like myself, remains a work in progress -- evolving, gaining foresight from hindsight, and striving to reach its greater purpose and meaning to the world. 

The battle is still raging, and my faith often wanes, particularly when overwhelmed by paralyzing pain and fatigue. But it is in the still of the night and through reflection upon accomplishments versus failed attempts, that I realize that I can press on; I may not complete the course at what I would consider an ideal timeframe, but I am committed to completing it, in God's time, and to embracing the process.

I once made a promise to a certain someone to "get some letters behind my name." That person knew what he was doing when he coaxed me into making that promise. He did not ask this promise for his own gain, but mine. He knew I would not break that promise. Though it has taken me a number of years to begin to fulfill this commitment, it is a blessing to be on the road to achievement. It is in looking back as well as to the future, that my footsteps are guided.