A year ago I had a dream

A dream I had spent several years

Working tirelessly on

Nights, weekends

One that put my family’s needs behind my own

Behind my schooling and countless hours of work

One that I was certain would fulfill me

Complete me

Give me a purpose

A reason to be proud of myself

And I had been proud of myself

For three years I gave everything I had

I was a stellar student

Focused

Driven

In many cases

To distraction

For the first time in my life

I could see the rewards for hard work

For sacrifice

The rose was blooming

A glorious, vibrant color

Finally having what it needed

To live up to its potential

And then, just as suddenly, the bloom faded

The petals fell off the stem

The dream died.

This dream would have come to fruition this month

I would have…