By: Sylvia Korver
I was a sophomore at the University of the Pacific, in Stockton , when I had a moment that changed my life forever. To most, it may sound like a “silly love story”, but to me it was much more than that. When registering for my Spring courses, I had to choose between two different English Literature courses. The class that I really wanted to take, English 25, was full. I had to be put onto a waiting list for it and enroll into the other one as well. When classes began, I shuffled between the two English courses, waiting and hoping for a spot to open up in English 25. I spoke with the English 25 professor about my situation, and he urged me to go with the other class. Why did I want to waste my time juggling all of my classes? The other class was just as good, if not better, he assured me. I told him that I would wait a week and see what happened. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to take his class so badly. I just had a feeling about it.
After three class meetings, one of my fellow classmates dropped out of English 25. She and her husband had decided to start a family, and she wanted to take some time off from school. The very next day I dropped the other English course and began English 25 as a regular, member of the class. I ended up making some of the closest friends I’ve ever had in that class, including a man named, Keith Korver, whom I have been married to now for almost 4 years.
When I think back on the moment when I could have given up on English 25, I think about everything I would have given up along with it. I could have thrown away the chance to meet the man who ended up being my best friend. Keith was there when I broke up with two of my boyfriends, taking me to college functions, and making sure that I was smiling and laughing. He was also there when my parents got divorced after 25 years of marriage. When I went back to school to get my teaching credential, it was Keith who worked two jobs, so that I could concentrate on student teaching.
It was a moment that I could have gone another way. I could have taken the easier route, but instead I chose to stick with my gut feeling. It was a moment that has given me many happier moments and it will give me many more to come.
