It Takes a Village

 **I know that my next post was supposed to be more about getting Princess help at school but God has put this blog post topic on my heart so I had to share it.

Whether or not you like or agree with Hillary Clinton and her politics there is no denying that she made the phrase "It takes a village..." part of our current vocabulary. She taught us that we cannot say "Well what do I care? He (or She) is not my child. " I have learned first hand that even in busy Southern California, we are all making time to help each others children.
I do want to acknowledge though that it is God who is bringing the villagers to my husband and I. We see His mighty work in so many facets with finding help for Princessand for us as her parents.
When I first began this journey,  I contacted one of the pastors at my church to ask about an MFT who would take our insurance. Well the pastor gave me some names. Then in a separate email he mentioned one other. This one other therapist has been with us for almost three years. I call her the hub. She is the one who put us in contact with a wonderful clinical psychologist who first did an evaluation on Princess. She is the one who has put us in contact with the fabulous doctor we now have. She pushed us to try to get the best care for Princess. When we were having so many difficulties getting Princess help from the school, it was this therapist who gave us the name of the amazing educational advocate we have. When we needed to get Princess some extra help at a behavior center, it was she who checked it out by calling the facility very late at night. She also went online to learn more about the center. God knew all along who we would need to navigate the waters for Princess. He chose to use this lovely women to do a lot of it. We are blessed to have such a caring therapist on our side.
My husband and I have friends who are worth their weight in gold. One of my dear friends is like a sister to me. We have been through thick and thin together. Another friend has a daughter Princess's age. Princess and her play so well together. When our family is having a challenging night, I know that I can text this friend and she will pray for me right away. My husband has this one friend who will just stop by to see how things are going. We know he and his wife pray for us on a regular basis. 
Then there is the matter of neighbors. God put just the right family right across the street from us. The parents are Christians who just happen to have three daughters who are babysitting age. We couldn't ask for better sitters. They are so kind, patient and understanding with Princess. They know when to push and when to let things go. I heard that one of the girls' friends wanted to watch Princess once. This daughter told her friend " That's OK, Princess is special and she requires special love and attention." This made my heart melt to hear this.
(By the way- I do have to say that all of Princess's sitters are Christians. For this my husband and I are grateful.)
 When we first heard that Princess might have a mood disorder, I went to my local bookstore looking for books on the subject. I did find one book that interested me. At the end of one of the chapters a website was listed. This online support group has been my lifeline. Just when I think that no one has a child like mine, someone will post something about their child that is just like mine. This gives me great peace. While this is not a Christian site, God has used this site in a mighty way in my life.
At church we have several groups that have been part of our village. Our adult Sunday school has been used by God to minister to us as well. We have received cards, emails, meals, prayers and most recently a check to cover some unexpected expenses when Princess was in the behavior center last Fall.  My husband and I both belong to Bible study/ prayer groups that have let us be real in front of them. We know we are being prayed for on a consistent basis.
Even though Princess attends a public school we are finding a number of Christians there. Several of Princess's teachers have been or are believers. Her new school counselor is a Christian as is at least one of her bus drivers.
I leave you with two thoughts: 1) Princess's new school counselor said," Wow! You have a lot of supportive people on your side." 2) The picture of the bus below is to remind you that our village even has a Christian bus driver.

Photo courtesy of dreamstime.com