Jean Marotta never could forget the dream she had of being a nurse and she learned it's never too late
In 1998 my daughter had a baby. She invited me to be in the delivery room with her. Her nurse was a wonderful woman my age who gave me tiny tasks to do while my daughter was in labor. She asked if I was a nurse. When I answered no, she asked, "Do you work in the health-care field?" Again, I answered no. She told me, "You're a natural," and I admitted, "I've always dreamed of being a nurse."
"It's never too late," she said. "Go to school now."
The very next day I went to Maria College in Albany, New York, to talk with an admissions officer.
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That was the beginning of a three-year odyssey that ended in my graduation as a registered nurse from Maria College in May 2002. At the graduation ceremony, I won an award for the highest average in my class (3.9). Walking across the stage I wanted to shout, "If I can do this, anyone can!" It was the most satisfying, wonderful, ecstatic experience of my life.
Now she knows the power of meaning and purpose and how it can create not just your future but your legacy.