The Internship

continued from  Jeannette

Knowledge is Power.  If that's the case then my sister needed to hit the books because she desperately needed a little power in her corner.

Step one was moving from Florida to Utah to live with my parents and regroup.  Step 2 was getting a job.  Step 3 was mapping out how to finish up that almost forgotten internship.

Steps one and two were quickly accomplished.  She settled in with my parents and got a job waiting tables at a friends restaurant.  Step 3 however took a toll mentally as she hit roadblocks at every turn.  She was on the computer and phone for hours on end figuring out the seemingly impossible task of  gaining acceptance into a Diatetics Internship.


Some schooling had expired and before she could even be considered she would have to redo a series of Nutritional Therapy classes.  These classes seemed overwhelming and impossible as her only experience with science in the last dozen years had been trying to find natural solutions to rid her carpet of playdoh and helping the kids make volcanoes erupt with baking soda.

                                                 Jeannette & Margo 2010

To compound the problem school was expensive, but she needed to make it happen whatever the cost.

After a year of living with my parents in Utah, my parents decided to move to California.  Jeannette of course needed their support and picked up her kids and moved again.  She started redoing all those classes she needed and spent many a days at the Temecula Library studying her heart out.  She didn't have the luxury of only concentrating on her studies as she also had 3 kids she longed to be with. 

In the midst of all these classes she was also working on gaining admittance to an internship.


She was accepted at a College in Colorado where she would set up her own rotations through local hospitals, agencies, offices and schools.  This proved tiring and frustrating as many hospitals were fed interns directly through the local colleges.

It made my head spin to see how many hoops she had to jump through for each and every rotation.  At the 11th hour she got everything in place and started.  Some were a 30 min. drive, some so far that she would leave for 4 days and come home for 3.  Of course there was still homework, studying, and the raising of her kids.

 In the middle of all of this she was working on putting the pieces of her marriage back together.

Through it all she remained positive and upbeat.  Too positive for me actually.  There were may times when I would actually scold, scream, cry and throw fits, because she wouldn't.  I guess I felt that if she wouldn't do it, I would. 

As of this month, she is done.  The Internship is finally over.

I don't know how she did it.  In the midst of a chaotic home life she  persevered and focused on the end goal.

November 2nd is her RD Test day.  One more huge hurdle to pass.

Her husband is out of the picture for now, not for lack of trying on her part, but due to circumstances out of her control.

My sister & I grew up under the same roof & slept in the same bed.  We walked to school together and she taught me to swim.  We loved so hard it hurt, and laughed until we ached.   We learn from each other every day and will continue to do so.

I hurt and pray for her but also cheer and relish in all she has and has yet to accomplish.

She's lived a lifetime already, but at the same time, is starting anew.  A new and wonderful journey is literally a moment away.