College study deja vu

My wife Jan and my son Matthew got together for some studying before Matthew's exam for his nursing program. I had suggested to him a few weeks ago that he either call or visit us, so we could grill him to ensure he knew the correct answers.

When I was in college, I used to do this with Jan before we were married. I would visit her at her apartment where she stayed while going to college, and she would ask me questions about different topics from my notebook.

We would go over it maybe seven or eight times, until I was convinced I had it right. Often, I could repeat to her verbatim what I'd written in my notes. I'd take the test the following day, and would score often in the high 90's, or sometimes 100 percent on the exam.

We would sit in her bedroom, whose walls were painted to resemble the night sky - a black background with bright stars here and there. And we would go over the material together, again and again.

My point? The time-honored method worked for both of us. Matthew did very well on the exam. We, especially Jan, were happy to help him.

And the common denominator of this approach in the 1970's and 2012? Love, pure and simple. And a willingness to work to achieve what you want. Congratulations, Matthew. Thanks, Jan.