– History is being made at the University of Notre Dame this spring
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In the 161 years the University of Notre Dame has been awarding degrees, never had there been an African-American as valedictorian. Until this year.
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She’s Katie Washington of Gary, Indiana. She carries a 4.0 GPA majoring in biology and minoring in Catholic social teaching.
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According to the Northwest Indiana Times, Washington plans to continue her studies at Johns Hopkins University and follow in her father’s footsteps into medicine.
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Washington says she’s humbled by the honor of being named valedictorian.
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More information from Notre Dame University:
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Katie Washington, a biological sciences major from Gary, Ind., has been named valedictorian of the 2010 University of Notre Dame graduating class and will present the valedictory address during Commencement exercises May 16 (Sunday) in Notre Dame stadium.
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Washington, who earned a 4.0 grade point average, has a minor in Catholic Social Teaching. She has conducted research on lung cancer
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Apr 21 2010
Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", "When You're Down to Nothing God's UP to Something", Inspirationals.
Tags: accident, advice, age, aim, air, anger, babies, baby, beacon, beauty, belief, bell, bells, Bible, blessings, bliss, bouquet, breath, bridge, brilliance, burden, cancer, candle, candles, care, cemetery, challenge, check, Christ, clerk, cloud, clouds, cold, color, colors, comfort, Comforter, companion, concentration, couple, courage, creek, cross, cure, dad, depression, destination, divorce, doctor, drugs, encouragement, era, exam, experience, eyes, faith, family, father, feeling, feelings, fire, flame, florist, flowers, focus, force, friends, friendship, funds, gas, gem, gems, genuine, ghost, glory, goal, God, goodness, grace, gratitude, guidance, gynecologist, hair, hairstyle, happiness, healing, health, heart, highway, history, holiday, holidays, home, House, husband, ice, inspiration, Jesus, journey, joy, King, language, laughter, learning, lesson, letter, life, lifestyle, lifetime, light, load, Lord, love, mail, man, marriage, Mathematics, might, mind, moment, money, mountain, noise, obituary, ocean, others, pain, partner, path, perfection, period, phone, physician, power, prayer, promise, quiz, rain, rainbow, reading, Redeemer, rivers, rose, roses, Savior, sea, shape, shapes, sheep, shepherd, size, smiles, son, sound, source, specialist, spouse, spring, stream, strength, stress, struggles, sunshine, surgeon, surprise, teaching, test, thankfulness, Thanksgiving, thorn, thorns, thought, time, tips, torch, touch, travel, treasure, trials, tribulation, trip, triumph, triumphs, truck, trust, truth, vacation, value, vehicle, victory, voice, water, weight, wife, wind, woman, wonder, words, worries, worry

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The Blessing Of Thorns
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Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed
against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had
been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of
her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her
ease.
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During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son.
She grieved over her loss. As if that weren’t enough, her
husband’s company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose
annual holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not
come.
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What’s worse, Sandra’s friend infuriated her by suggesting her
grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to
empathize with others who suffer. “She has no idea what I’m
feeling,” thought Sandra with a shudder.
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“Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?” she wondered aloud. For a
careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-
ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of
her child?
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“Good afternoon, can I help you?”
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The shop clerk’s approach startled her.
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“I….I need an arrangement, “stammered Sandra. “For
Thanksgiving?
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Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to
challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the
Thanksgiving Special?” asked the shop clerk.
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“I’m convinced that flowers tell stories,” she continued.
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“Are you looking for something that conveys ‘gratitude’ this
Thanksgiving?
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“Not exactly!” Sandra blurted out. “In the last five months,
everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. ” Sandra
regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk
said, “I have the perfect arrangement for you.”
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Then the door’s small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, “Hi
Barbara…let me get your order.” She politely excused herself
and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared,
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Apr 06 2010
Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", Advice & Tips, Inspirationals.
Tags: ability, acceptance, accomplishment, action, beauty, belief, bliss, chances, choices, commitment, creativity, decision, dreams, encouragement, eyes, family, focus, forgiveness, friends, fun, goals, goodness, happiness, heart, hope, hugs, inspiration, investment, journey, joy, kindness, knowledge, language, learning, life, love, memories, rewards, sharing, skills, smiles, spring, success, talent, thankfulness, time, understanding, value, voice, winter, words, world
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* A–Accept *
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they’ve made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
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*B–Break Away *
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
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*C–Create *
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
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*D–Decide *
Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
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*E–Explore *
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.
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*F–Forgive *
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
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*G–Grow *
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
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*H–Hope *
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
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*I–Ignore *
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your
accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
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*J–Journey*
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something
new every day, and you’ll grow.
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*K–Know *
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
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*L–Love *
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.
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*M–Manage *
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.
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*N–Notice *
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