Mediation--Why?

Some of you may have already heard this, but at the suggestion of Lady Addie, here's my story...particularly how I chose mediation.

When I graduated with my BA my plan was to go to grad school and get a doctorate in English Literature, and eventually become a college professor. I graduated in December, so I had a little time to study for the GRE and to prepare for grad school.

But the more I got ready...the more I began to dread it. And not just grad school...teaching, too. I realized the only reason I had planned to become a professor was for money. Not many people earn much by writing.

I still took the GRE...and didn't do as well as I'd hoped. I took it as a sign from God...being a professor was not for me.

And what a relief that acknowledgement was! But I had a problem. A BA in Writing doesn't give you many good job options. So I prayed, then found a website with an alphabetical list of almost any job you can imagine...and I started reading through them.

Even the ones I expected to excite me (actor...writer...no, I wasn't seriously considering them as options but they ARE my passions), didn't. At least, they didn't as much as mediator did.

I had never heard of mediators. They are people who get both sides of a legal argument together and attempt to help them reach an agreement--without the use of the courtroom.

The two things I have always wanted to do with my job (and life in general) are help people and serve God. I believe I can do both as a mediator.

So I'm going to law school, starting Thursday. I'm pretty scared but God's helping put excitement in place of nervousness.

Oh, and this was just cool to me...the first time I met one of my guy friends--we'll call him Joe--was at writer's group. At the end of the night we got talking about God, and Joe decided he wanted to tell us each the good qualities he saw in us. He'd only just met me but instead of skipping me, he thought for a moment, then said, "Janny, I hardly know you, so maybe this isn't right, but the word that's coming to mind is mediator." Someone else had to explain to him why I was staring open-mouthed. ;)