Tonight at 6 pm the California bar exam results were posted. The exam was administered back in late July/early August so it’s been quite a wait to see if daughter Liz and her boyfriend, Ron, were going to be among the recent law graduates who could officially call themselves California attorneys. Ron and Liz went on a 60 day cross-country trip to pass the time between the actual taking of the exam and the day of discovery – today – when they would know whether they’d be spending the next several months re-studying the Bar exam material for a second try or sending out resumes for potential job opportunities. There are few moments in life where one’s future hangs quite so precariously.
I asked Liz yesterday if there was a way we needed to deal with her today if she didn’t pass. She said she thought it would be best to just let her go into her room, close the door, check her results and then wait until she came out to tell us what the results were. Today she refined the plan to include taking a shower immediately after finding out the results IF she didn’t pass. “If you hear the water running in my bathroom, that means I’m in my shower crying.”
At exactly 5:58 pm, Liz headed back to her room. Sarah, Ray and I were sitting in the den along with our niece, Leslie, and her friend, Haley, who are visiting from Texas. My shoulders were tight with tension; all of us sat uncommonly straight in our chairs, talking extra quietly. After just a minute or two, Sarah tiptoed down the hall to see if she could hear water running in Liz’s bathroom. Instead, the door opened and Liz came walking out with a big grin on her face. “I passed!” she said, and we all erupted into a combination of cheers and applause. I felt the tension in my shoulders release and tears sprang to my eyes. What relief to know that Liz wouldn’t have to repeat those intensive months of studying.
“What about Ron?” I asked.
Liz shook her head. “I haven’t heard from him yet.”
We tensed up again, waiting to hear of his results. The idea of Ron not passing would be nothing but problematic. First, Liz would feel a need to lessen her accomplishment so he wouldn’t feel bad; and second, we would all have to figure out how to help him not feel really awful since her success would accentuate his lack of success. After two or three minutes of anticipation, we heard Liz’s phone buzz, announcing a text. She checked it and then broke into a big smile. “Ron passed, too!” Again, we cheered and clapped. Now all was truly well.
I am so proud of both Liz and Ron. They have been diligent, focused, and good-natured throughout two years of accelerated law school and then another several months of bar preparation. They have encouraged one another, been good friends to one another and to their fellow law students, and have kept plodding forward, one step at a time despite times of discouragement and extreme fatigue.
Now, they are both full-fledged Attorneys at Law and they can move to the next step of applying for and finding the right job to move them into the next phase of their lives.
Hurray for setting goals and reaching them; for taking risks and having them pay off; for operating as decent people throughout the process.
Fine work, Liz and Ron. Your families are exceedingly proud, you can be sure!
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