Continuing Education: Marie Curie

It's the second week of January, 2011. I've decided to break down the year into weeks (it's a little motivational trick I'm trying).

If you think about a whole year, it seems like a really long time - but 52 weeks isn't much at all.

One of my goals for 2011 is to continue my education. With two small children under two, personal goals get pushed to the back burner. There always seems to be a more pressing need.

There's a hungry infant screeching my name right now.

Please stand by.   

When it seems impossible to make progress and the task of getting enrolled in school is daunting - Marie Curie is my cheerleader.

Bright young Marie Sklodowska wanted to attend college desperately, but there were no resources for her. Marie's father had no money, he had lost his job as a teacher.

Marie made a pact with her older sister that the two of them would help support each other to accomplish their educational goals. Marie worked for five years taking care of a wealthy family's children - and paid for her sister to attend college. When Marie's sister completed her education, she in turn worked to support Marie at the Sorbonne.

Marie graduated from the Sorbonne with honors. She also met her future husband Pierre while attending classes there in 1881. Marie and Pierre Curie worked tirelessly together to discover radioactive elements radium and polonium.  She was awarded two Nobel Peace prizes, one jointly with her husband, and another for Chemistry at the age of 44.

Not only did Marie Curie finish her education, she became the first female professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, taking over her husband's teaching position after his tragic death in 1906.

 Pierre and Marie Curie

"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done."

~Marie Curie, 1867-1934.

Stanley Praimnath

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives as a result of the attacks on September 11th, 2001.

Stanley Praimnath was not one of them.

Working in his office on the Tower Two's 81st floor, Stanley watched the first plane crash into the first tower. After being assured that Tower Two was secure, Stanley decided to forgo evacuation and continued to work.

As he glanced up from his desk, Stanley saw an American Airlines jet heading straight for his office.

Not knowing what to do, he instinctively dove under his desk, balled his head into his hands and curled into a fetal position.

The jet smashed through his office and exploded within twenty feet of his desk.  Stanley knew he needed to get out of his office and find a way out of the building if he was to survive, but he was trapped in mounds of debris, smoke and fire rising from the pile of furniture and supplies that had once been his office.

There seemed to be no escape.

Stanley prayed, and had faith that God would help get him out of the burning Tower.

Using superhuman strength and his faith alone, Stanley shook the debris from his body and was able to walk through flames to continue to the office exit. Seeing that it was blocked, he broke through the wall by knocking a hole in it. The small hole was large enough to crawl through, so that he could make a narrow escape into the hallway containing a staircase.

Stanley found his way down the stairs, stopping on each floor to see if he could find survivors who needed help. As he reached the bottom of the stairway, the entire first floor was in flames.

Firefighters were shouting for him to get out, but there was no where to run - fire was all around him.

Stanley knew he faced a paradox. He would burn to death if he remained in the building, but he would have to walk through fire in order to escape. With his faith that God would help him survive, Stanley took a deep breath and doused himself with water from the Tower's sprinkler system.

And then he walked through fire.

Claudia C. Evans
January 1, 2011.

Whatever the situation you are facing today, whether you're resolved to go back to college, find a new job, relocate your family, read more, eat less - remember to have perspective.

Everyone faces challenges, some great and some small. Whatever difficulties you face, I am certain there are many things to be grateful for too.

Sometimes a positive outlook and faith that you can accomplish your tasks will get you started down the right pathway.

Best of luck for a happy and healthy 2011.