Time to De-lurk

*May 22 - Edited to add Larissa to the "loyal commenters" list. She totally just had a baby 2 days ago and still found time to comment!*

Ok, bloggy friends. Here's the topic of discussion for today. Graduate School. Specifically, Honey going back to grad school.

My hard-working, man-of-his-word husband began a degree 5 years ago in Youth and Family Ministry. It was one of the stipulations of taking the youth ministry job at our former church. You see, his undergraduate degree is in business, and they wanted a youth minister with some sort of "Bible" degree. So, as he said he would, he began working on a "Bible" master's degree. Over the last five years, he has inherited and overseen a large youth ministry, raised a young son, brought twin daughters into the world, survived 2 very long winters of sickness when the girls were very literally sick every 2 weeks, spent more weeks of the summer traveling than being home, and been a caring, thoughtful husband, as well as kind, attentive father. And somehow managed to earn 27 hours of credit towards his degree.

Graduate school has never been a dream of his. He isn't that I-need-a-masters-degree-to-feel-successful kind of guy. His sole motivation in going back to school was to satisfy the requirements to keep his youth ministry job.

Well...he doesn't have that job anymore. Not only does he not have that specific job anymore, he doesn't really see himself in full time ministry any time soon, if ever again. So, the motivation is gone. A "Youth and Family Ministry" degree seems useless right now. He did finish his class last semester even though it seemed like a waste of time. But there is absolutely nothing exciting to him about enrolling for another semester. Or even making a plan to finish.

Y'all, he's 9 hours from being done! NINE HOURS, three classes. From a masters degree! I just can't stand that he is so close and just doesn't want to finish! I understand how he feels (I shudder at the thought of going back to any school that does not involve teaching pre-k twice a week.) and I know that it seems like a lame duck degree, but it's a masters degree. Honey, you are nine hours away from a masters degree! To me, it would be a shame to make all that hard, time consuming, sometimes inconsequential work seem useless by not finishing. You are so close!

So here is where the de-lurking is involved. I've decided to let you guys help me present this argument to Honey. I know there are people who read this blog that never comment. I'm good with lurkers. I am one myself. It's fun to lurk, no strings attached when you lurk. I am asking, just this once, that you de-lurk. Come out of annonymity and tell me what you think. Give us your advice. Do you think Honey should finish his degree? Whether you are a lurker or whether you are a loyal commenter (Laci and Binkley Family and Larissa) tell me your opinion about this whole graduate school thing. Just click on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post and type away. If you don't want to register with Blogger, submit it as Annonymous. I promise not to delete your comment if you're not on my side.