The Investment

When Hunter was nearing the completion of his 2nd grade year, we found out that our 7 year old son was being “passed” on to 3rd grade when he had made unsatisfactory marks all year.   There was this loophole called “No Child Left Behind”.  Hunter would not be left behind, even though he’d fallen deeply through the cracks of the public school system.

We were not happy.  We were not “trophy participation” parents.   Joseph and I spent years sitting in IEP meetings, battling for services, and fighting for Hunter’s rights to be educated among his peers.  It was only a matter of time before he was to be moved to another public school in the district and placed in a self contained classroom for deaf children.

Two weeks after the end of the school year,  Joseph died suddenly.   All of the sudden, I was a single mother to two little boys.   My co-pilot was gone.  And it sucked flying solo.  I couldn’t deal with the school system alone.  And learn this new life that I didn’t ask for.  God and I were battling it out…. or rather I was.

For some reason beyond my own understanding that awful summer, I decided to check into Carolina Christian Academy, a local private school.  I knew it was a huge gamble, becuase many resources would be lost.  Private schools do not have the formal IEP’s that public schools do.  There’s no speech classes.  There would be no sign language teacher and no classroom “shadow” to accompany Hunter throughout the day.

Hunter was tested to see where he stood academically.   My heart fell when the principal told me that Hunter’s test scores were on a 1st grade level.   I remember the tears rolling down my cheeks and me being at the lowest point of my life.   I looked at the Principal, Mrs. Mills, and she had tears in her own eyes.  She explained to me that there was still a place for Hunter at CCA.   I asked her how?  She asked me what kind of Christian school would they be if they turned away God’s children, who were created in God’s own image.   They wanted to be a part of my village.

The last 8 years have been full of after school tutors, summer tutorings, morning tutorings, tweakings, prayers, and  lots and lots of patience.  Hunter has worked his tail off and made some great academic strides. His teachers worked just as hard.  CCA taught my son that he is perfect in God’s own image. Hunter has absolutely thrived and blossomed. I can’t even begin to name all the teachers that have invested deeply in Hunter.   Oh, and we can’t forget that the Lord healed Hunter of his hearing problem near the end of his first year there.  I will always believe that was the Lord’s way of reminding me to trust Him, even when it seems the harder route to choose.

Earlier this year(his sophomore year), Hunter was given an opportunity that I can only say that the Lord lined up and is perfectly executing.  I stand amazed.

Let me rewind a few months to December of last year.  I was irate to find out that because of Obamacare, we can’t have an additional dime of income to come into our home or our premiums for just Hunter and I quadruple and are totally unaffordable. I have drilled into my boys that they are/were expected to get jobs at 16 and contribute to their auto insurance and fund their own social habits. Hunter’s older brother, Chase, was held to this standard and set the bar high.   I was upset that thanks to Barack Obama, my kid can’t work.

It was all a part of God’s plan.

Hunter has been given the opportunity to skip an entire grade and graduate next year.  His hard work has paid off. There’s just one catch. He has to do a few internships.  Just a few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook about  how I was upset that everything wasn’t falling in place.  I scolded Hunter for not being worried or doing this or doing that.  At the end of me scolding him, he told me that he was just as worried as me. But he had been praying about it every night and that God was going to take care of it.

And He did.

Hunter came home from school Wednesday and told me that he had been called to Dr. Mills’, the school administrator’s, office.  Upon arriving, there sat a local cabinet maker by the name of Joe Coy. Mr. Coy has agreed to invest in Hunter this summer and teach him work skills, ethics, and every day business skills. Who does that anymore?  We live in a society where it’s all “me,me,me”.   My heart is humbled by this small businessman who could be chasing the almighty dollar a little harder without a teenage boy underfoot, yet he is going to invest in my son and play a role in what will define him as a man.

See, while I was mad at Barack,  God knew Hunter couldn’t work a paying job and do these internships.   Someone said that Hunter may could get a job and be paid cash and it not be reported. Nah….. that’s still being dishonest.

I think I’ll take Hunter’s advice and trust God to take care of it.  The great “I Am” hasn’t done me wrong yet!

God Bless!

 

The Beancounter