Changes, graduation, your story

[Debra J. Berg]

I'm waxing philosophical today since my daughter is graduating from college on Saturday in Illinois. It's so amazing to see how people's stories unfold. At 24, after five years of challenging study in French horn, our daughter has made it through doubt and a host of other issues to success. In the fall she'll attend Boston U grad school with a very bright performance future ahead of her in a great environment for music. But six months ago, life wasn't so clear.

We all have roller coaster experiences with what we're trying to accomplish and often it looks overwhelming and darn murky. Creating the NICENetwork hasn't been a cakewalk, but then there are also days when people come to me wanting to help, donating services, skills, and time I don't have to pay for and I'm simply amazed.

I think about Julia Neiman and the fostered youth she is trying so desperately to help become adults. A year ago, she might have given up but today she has success and can look back and share her (tough) lessons with others who are attempting to do the same thing. Now, she can also write a book people will want to read.

Learning from other people's life experiences while trying to "change the world" is what NICE is all about. I hope no one ever thinks that they can only write about success here. There's no such thing as wasted experience when it comes to helping others. This forum is definitely about what's working so we encourage replication, but it's also about what didn't work (never to be considered failure). Just remember Edison...

Please fee free to write about both here.