She arrived at the house before I did.  I pulled into the driveway and watched her tentatively open the driver's side door, step out into the street and shield her eyes from the sun.  We had decided that we'd meet today to look at the website together.  The one that would open or shut the door to her hopes of being a nurse, her wishes for the past thirty-five years.  Her score on that one exam.

She'd stopped speaking with hope a couple of weeks ago.  I'd noticed that she rarely spoke of working in the ER or applying to St. Jude. The chic hairdo I'd known her for had been replaced by a low ponytail, quickly pulled back from her face.  The conversations she'd had with her husband about picking up a waitressing job had been more frequent, as well as their arguments.  At the same time, our conversations on the phone had grown lengthier.  

As we met in front of the door I embraced her as she started to cry.  "What if I didn't pass again?  I don't know that I can study for this crazy test again.  Maybe it's just not in me.  Could it really have been that the past six years of schooling were for nothing?"

I haven't grown skill in a variety of areas in life, but I have developed the craft of listening.  She sat in the kitchen and continued to talk as I put together a small lunch.  We retold the events of our morning and tried to pause the inevitable.

As we finally moved towards the computer we held hands.  1.  Type in browser url.  2.  Fill in template with name and ID number.  3.  Wait without breathing.  AND… Licensed Registered Nurse!  More tears, more hugging, lots of laughter.

We finished the afternoon together with a prayer of thanks and a few rounds of Just Dance 4.  The seemingly tribal combination was an appropriate mix of words and gestures to express the joy we'd shared.  As I walked her outside we paused again in the driveway and I couldn't help but notice a new beam of confidence in her eye, smile on her face…the way she squeezed my hand when she said goodbye.  "I'm hopeful," she whispered, "I'm going to keep on believing in miracles!"