But then God brought us together in a way we'd always hoped He would...
...
When I took Bryson to school on his first day of Kindergarten, I literally got chills when I walked in the door to his classroom. Guess who was in his class... Michelle's oldest son - Logan. This shouldn't have even been possible, as Logan is one year older than Bryson. However, they were both placed in the combination first-grade/Kindergarten class. He approached Bryson and me, and posed more of a statement than a question, "You know my mom, don't you."
This took me back. It took me back to that first day of school so long ago, when that blonde-haired girl in the pretty yellow dress came up to me and asked, "Do you remember me?"
I cried on the way home. Michelle and I had dreamed of this day, when our children would go to school together. Here it was happening, and all I could do was be joyful. Thank you God.
I would visit Bryson often, volunteering in his class, or having lunch with him and his friends. Michelle worked at the school that year. So I would see her too.
I was never uncomfortable with her after that. We had both become mothers. I had two boys; she had two girls and two boys. Our boys were each two years apart, stair-stepping in order - her Logan, my Bryson, her Ryan, my Camden. It was like we'd reached a new understanding. Even though we were no longer close, perhaps our boys would be.
A couple years later, I started homeschooling. It seemed this would sever any possibility of our boys growing up together. I was sad about that, but God had called me to homeschool. So this was the way it had to be.
...
If you follow my blogging, you've heard me say before... That first year of homeschooling is like an emotional roller coaster. I was not only taking full responsibility for my children's education, I was also working from home. Needless to say, I was constantly overwhelmed and extremely stressed out.
I don't remember the exact moment, but I had run into Michelle, and she offered to watch the boys for me if I ever needed time to myself so I could get my work done. While her kids were at school, Michelle ran an in-home day care.
Now, I am very picky about who I allow to watch my children, as my youngest son has food allergies. But I didn't think twice about leaving them with Michelle. I know her well enough to know that she has a gift when it comes to children. Her patience level is at the "sainthood" mark. She is loving, caring, dependable and godly. What more could I ask for?
One day, as I was dropping my boys off at her house, she mentioned perhaps she and I could do breakfast. Her husband was kind enough to watch my boys, along with the other kids. So Michelle and I escaped to a local restaurant for breakfast.
Our time together that morning was magical. It was like we'd been transported back to our childhood days. We talked non-stop, laughing and even crying along the way. Before we knew, three hours had passed.
We decided to make this a weekly excursion - a breakfast date that we both looked forward to, happily anticipating what secrets our conversations would reveal. We learned about what we had missed during our years apart. We missed special occasions. We missed parental health concerns. We missed misguided love. We missed early motherhood struggles. We missed a lot of things. We were both sad about that. But we were so grateful to have found our way back to each other.
Michelle would tell me about her walk with God, which I found fascinating in comparison to the curious little girl I remembered. I learned more about exactly how she'd found her way to Him, how He'd led her to her soulmate, and how He had called her to be a preacher's wife.
I would tell Michelle about homeschooling. How heavy the burden of educating my children is, but how rewarding it is to watch them learn.
In turn, I wanted what she had - a closer relationship with God. And she wanted what I had - the confidence to homeschool.
That's why God brought us back together - to satisfy our needs, and to fulfill His purpose.
I have never walked closer to God than I walk today. I can honestly say that He has used Michelle to spark my hunger for Him and to show me how to know Him more.
Michelle will soon be starting her second year of homeschooling. Together, we are coordinating a support group for local homeschooling families.
Once again, our lives are intertwined.
Once again, we want to go the same places, to do the same things, to be the same people.
And just as those two little blonde-haired Daddy's girls imagined, we're raising our children and growing old together.
Praise be to God.
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