Saying Thank You To More Than Deserving ProgressiveU'ers

Every so often we get to read one of those posts about how awesome ProgressiveU is. I have to confess that I adore those posts. ProgressiveU is a wonderful place. Where else do you get to discuss really important things with really awesome people that you would otherwise never have known? Certainly not Myspace

I like to think that ProgressiveU is doing a service for people. I think that's true. Things don't always operate smoothly around here. There are kinks. There are disagreements. There are downright insane times. There are arguments. And there is always room for improvement.

But, talking to BurningExample tonight, I remembered why I always come back here, even when I do get fed up. The discussion aside, I'm met some truly phenomenal people here at ProgressiveU.

My life isn't always easy. Let me rephrase that. I'm not always easy. I obsess about things like my schoolwork. When algebra came up a few terms ago, I was what can only be described as an emotional train wreck. Algebra is not a very emotional subject for most people.

For me, it was the equivalent of being locked in a dungeon for 10 long weeks. I was terrified. I cried. And cried. And cried some more. I have what we now know as dyscalculia. It's a learning disability in which one has very limited number sense. My traumatizing experiences with math growing up all came swimming up when it was time to take the college algebra plunge and I freaked out.

As I already mentioned, I obsess about my school work. Trying to deal with a learning disability and that obsessive need to get perfect scores makes for very difficult times. I made it out of algebra with a B at the end of the term. Not perfect, but it was an absolutely amazing thing for me. It's still, months later, an unreal accomplishment.

It wouldn't have happened without ProgressiveU. More specifically, it wouldn't have happened without some of the people I've met here at ProgressiveU. They spent hours at a time helping me. Nearly weekly (oftentimes more frequently than that) we'd pile into a Yahoo messenger conference and they'd assist me as I did the assignments. We were going over the same concepts again and again and again. When I'd promptly forget, they'd explain it again from start to finish. I imagine they got frustrated, but they never once complained about it, or made me feel bad about it. They simply rolled up their sleeves and kept going. Hours and hours at a time if need be.

During my term in algebra, my sister started having pregnancy complications. Her youngest boy, as many of you know, is ventilator dependent and requirs skilled care. We keep him at home and absolutely would not do it another way. He has a slightly older brother (9 and a half months older) as well. She was on bedrest, Alo ended up in pediatric intensive care with RSV, Kaia needed attention, my schoolwork needed attention.

Those same people were always there when I needed to rant or vent or just talk about how terrified I was. Sis gave birth on March 31st to a 1 pound 9 ounce baby girl. One day shy of a full 14 weeks before she was due. Again, they all rallied around me. She was in the hospital for weeks while they tried to hold off labor as long as they could.

I'd come home from the hospital; get Alo's night care done and him into bed, log on to check my email and instant messages. Every day there was a message from one of those people I'd met here checking on me, on Alo, on sis, on the baby. Did I need anything? Was the baby okay? Was sis okay? Did I need to talk?

Things are calming back down now. Aybra is still in NICU, but is doing well (nearly 6 pounds!!), Alo now has at least one nurse a day, algebra is well behind me. Life is returning to what we call normal around here. We still have bad days. Aybra has setbacks, Alo has setbacks, Kaia has tantrums, I start to feel a little crazy.

Those people always seem to know when that's happening, whether I say anything or not. I know those people because of ProgressiveU; but they've become rather permanent fixtures in my life quite outside of ProgressiveU. There really is no way to repay them for the kindnesses they continue to heap upon me when I need them. I often think I may owe them my very sanity.

All I can do is say thank you.

Thank you for always being there when I need you.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for putting your plans on hold to help me.
Thank you for making me laugh when I wanted to scream.
But mostly, thank you for being the kind of people that you are.

I have no doubt that mvenus929, Fanaile Essence, Reboloke, BurningExample, and EngKatieMarie and so many others (including Scyze, Kristingalyig07 and Nicholas Aden who have all had to leave us for various reasons) are the reason that ProgressiveU is the most amazing online community I've ever been part of. And I have no doubt that they will continue to inspire people to reach higher, aim further and keep moving far, far into the future. These are the kinds of people the world needs more of.

And I, for one, could not be happier that these are the kinds of people I come across every single day here on ProgressiveU. These are the kinds of people that make my life the beautiful thing it is. Out of everyone I have ever known, these are the people that I will forever be grateful for having known.

So thank you dears, for always going a step beyond because you want too, because you care, and because that's just the kind of people you are. ProgressiveU is beyond lucky to have you. I'm beyond grateful that I get to work alongside you daily. And Aybra, Alo and Kaia are blessed to have such amazing people keeping watch from afar.

(P.S. You’re absolutely forbidden from yelling at me for posting this here because you deserve the recognition and I bet there are many here that would agree and just don’t know where to start!)