He did it! and an update

Our son passed every one of the gauntlet of tests for his nine-month-long intensive paramedic course, including the final one, the regional exam this morning. The text he just sent to his dad, sister, and me:

When I got the text, I sat alone in my house, all choked up. This is my child who never loved school, at least the academic part, who didn't plan to ever go back into a classroom when he finished college. Except he had to, in order to pursue his dream. And now this. He finished one point behind the first place score. I am so proud of him I could burst. 

Update: Thank you all for your kind comments. Please pray for my boy out there on the streets. He's been assigned to a rather rough part of town, and on the overnight shift—which he welcomes. He says the calls will be more varied and will force him to grow. Perhaps it is a law of nature that a parent's heart is never at rest.