Benchmark

Let this day be marked as a special day in my life.

I had missed my attorney's call, confused by the unknown number I listened to my message, it was the attorney asking me to call her back.

When we get on the phone, she says, "Maria, how're you? Are you sitting down? I have some good news and some bad news for you, which would you like to hear first?". Without hesitation I said the bad news. So she says, "I just got off the phone with the Chief of Immigration." I sit at my desk waiting for her to go on, silence, I say, "is that it?" She assures me it is, "And now to the good news, the Chief has approved our request" at which point I immediately start shaking (still am shaking now two hours later) and laughing and crying, and I manage to say, "that's great" (barely audible). She continues to tell me that the chief was very impressed with the letter we had submitted, one I had written up outlining my accomplishments while living here in the U.S. She assured him she had nothing to do with it and it was all me. This entire time I'm trying not to wail. She also tells me that she wants me to be a lawyer with her . . . sigh of relief, total bliss . . . still fighting the wailing. I keep thanking her, and she tells me not to celebrate quite yet, "let's wait until we get that letter from him (the Chief)" and then we can start celebrating. She tells me to tell my parents to start getting the money together and I tell her "we already have it", and she goes, "well then let's just wait for that letter because as soon as we get it, we will need the money to start processing for the green card." THE GREEN CARD!!!!!

There is nothing absolutely nothing I've wanted more, nothing more important in my life, I've wanted more than this. It is finally going to happen. Within the next couple months, the world will not see what's coming. My life will finally be in my hands. A job! A real person!

Things are not changing quite yet, but we are moving closer to the end of this journey. The last time I cried out of joy this intensely was when I found out I wasn't going to have to go to community college and would indeed be going to a real university, UCSB.

Life I love you and everything you've given me so far, the sour and the sweet.

MUCH LOVE!!!