The Angels of Our Path
It seems from the moment we realized we had a magnificently special child, the angels were there. At the time, we may not have recognized them as such, but I can assure you that they were there. God sent people smack dab into our lives, seemingly out of nowhere, that would make a significant impact on our experience as a special needs family. If you are just starting this journey, keep your eyes open for them. They are there. God is guiding you through their care and knowledge and acceptance.
As clearly as I can see those people now, there were moments when I was so distraught over the people that I had thought would be there for us and weren’t, that I almost missed them. There are definitely people that don’t understand how to shepherd you through this type of grief and confusion and the figuring it out time that comes with learning the ropes of special needs parenting. I think it’s okay to feel disappointment about that, but to understand that we are all just human. Our friends are human, our family members are human and with that comes differences in how we handle things. Even if people we expect to walk with us don’t, it is okay. God sends who we need when we need them. The number of angels that have been sent our way far out measures any disappointments we felt along the way.
Each heaven-sent guide, led to the next and the next and the next. This chain of help and healing and connection is remarkable to trace back. People speak of “word of mouth” when asked questions like, “How did you locate your Occupational Therapist?” or “ What led you to that preschool?”. I don’t think of it as “word of mouth”, but as God’s voice leading us in the right direction. I often pray for God to lead me. I promise him that I am listening. If he will lead me, I will follow.
I have followed these little nudges and as a result, we have found our way thus far.
The therapist that “everyone loves” somehow had an opening for us in her very full schedule. She became our first guide. She taught me about what my son was struggling with, she led me to appropriate care providers for him, she coached me on what he needed, and she gave a name to some of the things we didn’t yet understand about him. To this day, we feel her impact in my son's life every day. She led us, also, to the next of our angels here on earth. My son’s first preschool teacher. Without her love and care, my son might have never gotten the chance to experience school. She held his hand and accepted his differences while she championed his strengths. The bond he still shares with her is like no one else in his life.
Through a course of wild coincidences, our next angel flew in. She gave my son the chance to learn about the Lord. As a special needs family, we struggled to find a church that was a fit for us. This woman gave us a place. She runs the special needs ministry at a very loved church in our town, and when we met her we found our church home. Her guidance and friendship and loving care of our son and other children has allowed for acceptance and inclusion to grow in our community. My son, thanks to her, was able to participate alongside his peers and take part in all of the childhood church experiences that other kids typically get to enjoy. She led us, also, to another of the angels in our life. This next angel came into our lives as a suggested summer camp aide for our son. She was just finishing high school, and she spent the summer with our boy. To this day, she is one of the only people I fully trust to leave him with. She connected with him instantly and learned him and loved him. It takes time spent together to really know and bond with a child, and this teenager invested more into my son than I could have ever dreamed.
The dear friends and family members that have tucked in with us and been a part of our day-to-day life are also a part of this squad sent from God. They’ve listened and comforted and been strong for me when I couldn’t be. Then they listened some more. They’ve withheld judgement and just been there. In it. This group just seems to grow as time passes. Our lives were blessed with even more angels as our son entered elementary school, before we decided to homeschool. The relationships he formed there have continued on well after our leaving. Buddies from church, hair stylists, and the list goes on, one after the next, have become interwoven into our story and our hearts. These angels and the many more we’ve met along the way, are our people. Our team. Whether we still see them everyday or not, they remain with us. They are forever family to us, and our gratitude to them and to God for sending them is immeasurable.
